Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.00.

Several analysts recently commented on LNC shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $34.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

Lincoln National Price Performance

LNC stock opened at $34.26 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.79. Lincoln National has a one year low of $23.23 and a one year high of $36.98.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.61 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 18.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 6.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 128.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 2,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $103,068.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 99,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,587,184. The trade was a 2.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in Lincoln National by 106.7% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the period. Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 535.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 249.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 873 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

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.