Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.06, Briefing.com reports. Lincoln National had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 17.13%. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS.

Lincoln National Stock Down 11.8 %

Shares of NYSE:LNC traded down $4.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $30.02. 4,210,155 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,314,085. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $32.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.64. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $20.85 and a 52-week high of $36.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.84.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.00%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 10th. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is currently 24.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 55,127 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.57, for a total transaction of $1,795,486.39. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 198,255 shares in the company, valued at $6,457,165.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.18.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.