Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Short Interest Update

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 5,997,197 shares, an increase of 19.9% from the February 26th total of 5,001,782 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,482,637 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.74, for a total transaction of $261,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 198,159 shares in the company, valued at $6,487,725.66. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total transaction of $127,520.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041 over the last 90 days. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Lincoln National during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.7%

Lincoln National stock opened at $35.26 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Lincoln National has a 12 month low of $27.58 and a 12 month high of $46.82. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.30.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.52% and a net margin of 6.46%.Lincoln National’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “moderate buy” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Lincoln National from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $41.00 to $48.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Mizuho started coverage on Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.38.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, doing business as Lincoln Financial Group, is a diversified financial services holding company focused on providing retirement, insurance, and wealth management solutions in the United States and select international markets. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, the company operates through several business segments, including Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. Its offerings are designed to help individuals, families, and institutions plan and prepare for their financial futures.

The Retirement Plan Services segment delivers recordkeeping, administrative services, and investment management for defined contribution and defined benefit plans.