Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.00.

LNC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on Lincoln National from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays reduced their price target on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. National Bank Financial set a $40.00 price target on Lincoln National in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln purchased 2,254,486 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.09 per share, with a total value of $25,002,249.74. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,784,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,508,130.98. This represents a 29.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.74, for a total value of $261,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 198,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,487,725.66. This represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $386,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Lincoln National by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,428,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,724,000 after purchasing an additional 64,403 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $769,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Lincoln National by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 198,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,041,000 after purchasing an additional 37,812 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Lincoln National by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 42,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 3,478 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln National Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of LNC stock opened at $36.05 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.13. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $31.61 and a twelve month high of $46.82. The company has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The company’s revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.60 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

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.