Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $48.25

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $48.67.

A number of research analysts have commented on LNC shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln National from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Lincoln National from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Lincoln National from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, Director Gary Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,685.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total transaction of $498,080.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 119,947 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,200.16. This represents a 8.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Lincoln National during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. NBT Bank N A NY boosted its position in 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 923 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Lincoln National by 6,269.6% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 1,442 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lincoln National by 935.2% in the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 1,674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 45.7% during the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 1,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

NYSE:LNC opened at $39.80 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $47.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.45, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.16.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%. The firm had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.36 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.60%.

Key Lincoln National News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lincoln National this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage analysts have an average price target of $48.25, implying meaningful potential upside from the recent $39.80 trading level. Lincoln National Corporation Stock Has Average Price Target of $48.25 According to Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan’s revised $47 price target still implies approximately 18% upside, suggesting the firm sees value in LNC despite maintaining an Underweight rating. JPMorgan lowers Lincoln National price target
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha analysis highlights Lincoln National’s Series D preferred shares and an estimated 7.7% yield to call. The discussion may appeal to income-focused investors but is more relevant to the preferred security than to LNC’s common stock. Lincoln National Series D Preferred Shares: Unlocking a 7.7% YTC
• Negative Sentiment: Another Seeking Alpha article concludes that LNC’s investment case merits a Hold rating at best, reinforcing concerns about limited near-term catalysts and execution risks. Lincoln National Has One Preferred: Hold-Rated At Best
• Negative Sentiment: Dowling & Partners lowered its FY2027 EPS forecast to $8.75 from $8.90 and its FY2028 forecast to $9.80 from $9.95. Although the estimates remain above the current-year consensus of $7.93, the downward revisions indicate moderating earnings expectations.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating under the Lincoln Financial Group brand, is a financial services company that provides insurance and retirement solutions primarily in the United States. Its businesses serve individuals, families, employers and institutions through a portfolio of life insurance, annuities and workplace benefit products.

The company’s offerings include term and permanent life insurance, variable and fixed annuities, and retirement plan services designed to support income and financial planning needs.