Brokerages Set Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) Target Price at $45.38

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.3846.

Several research analysts have commented on LNC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “moderate buy” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. National Bank Financial set a $45.00 price target on Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln acquired 2,254,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.09 per share, with a total value of $25,002,249.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,784,322 shares in the company, valued at $108,508,130.98. This trade represents a 29.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 198,159 shares in the company, valued at $6,487,725.66. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041 in the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LNC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Lincoln National by 6.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $802,717,000 after buying an additional 1,183,934 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lincoln National by 145.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 116,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,683,000 after acquiring an additional 68,827 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 30.3% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 203,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,180,000 after purchasing an additional 47,419 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Lincoln National by 101.9% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 285,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,498,000 after acquiring an additional 143,862 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Lincoln National by 21.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,952,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $240,051,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Trading Up 4.0%

LNC opened at $35.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $37.34 and a 200 day moving average of $40.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Lincoln National has a 12 month low of $27.58 and a 12 month high of $46.82. The firm has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.30.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.85 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.52% and a net margin of 6.46%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.91 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is presently 33.90%.

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.