Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.4286.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LNC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday.

Lincoln National Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE LNC opened at $46.90 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.53. Lincoln National has a one year low of $32.18 and a one year high of $47.67. The firm has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a PE ratio of 4.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.36 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is 15.60%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bain Capital Prairie LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth about $835,360,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at about $101,114,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,681,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,831,000. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

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.