Morgan Stanley Cuts Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target to $50.00

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its target price lowered by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $54.00 to $50.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 36.46% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.00.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNC traded down $3.26 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $36.64. The stock had a trading volume of 1,054,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,857,365. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $27.58 and a 1 year high of $46.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $42.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 6.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.31.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $4.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.15, for a total value of $155,363.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,985 shares in the company, valued at $5,253,187.75. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total transaction of $127,520.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,957,286.27. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Insight Inv LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 48,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,143,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Lincoln National by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC increased its stake in Lincoln National by 1.2% in the third quarter. Phillips Financial Management LLC now owns 21,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $881,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in Lincoln National by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,397 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

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.