Kestra Advisory Services LLC Purchases 15,607 Shares of Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 32.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,254 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,607 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $2,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. NBT Bank N A NY boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 2,051.1% in the 1st quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lincoln National news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 103,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,579,561.70. The trade was a 22.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of LNC stock opened at $42.26 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $8.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.90, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.17. Lincoln National Corporation has a 12 month low of $32.18 and a 12 month high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.93 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 18.07%. The company’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. Research analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Lincoln National from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Lincoln National from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.79.

About Lincoln National

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.