Insider Selling: Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) EVP Sells $2,058,558.84 in Stock

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) EVP James Reid sold 52,434 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.26, for a total transaction of $2,058,558.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 129,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,085,465.58. This trade represents a 28.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Lincoln National Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:LNC opened at $42.54 on Thursday. Lincoln National Corporation has a 52-week low of $32.18 and a 52-week high of $47.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The company has a market capitalization of $8.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.05.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by ($0.24). The business had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.02% and a net margin of 16.36%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 11th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 11th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.67.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating as Lincoln Financial Group, is a financial services and insurance company whose businesses focus on protecting income and helping individuals and employers plan for financial needs. Its offerings include life insurance, annuities, workplace benefits and retirement plan services. The company serves individuals, employers and retirement plan participants primarily in the United States. Its workplace protection products include benefits such as disability and life insurance, while its retirement services support employers and employees with workplace savings plans.