Short Interest in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Increases By 19.9%

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of 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. Based on an average trading volume of 2,482,637 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total transaction of $127,520.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.46, for a total transaction of $344,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 206,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,104,239.14. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,360,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,495,000 after purchasing an additional 133,388 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Lincoln National by 66.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 2,458 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Lincoln National by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 47,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,117,000 after purchasing an additional 7,014 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $183,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 30.1% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 13,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LNC. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. National Bank Financial set a $45.00 price target on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.38.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC traded up $1.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $35.46. 2,084,869 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,345,683. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.68, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.25. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $27.58 and a twelve month high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.35. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 18.52%. The firm had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.91 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is 33.90%.

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.