Piper Sandler Cuts Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target to $30.00

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price target reduced by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $32.00 to $30.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price target indicates a potential upside of 3.63% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Lincoln National from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “c” rating to a “d+” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.27.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

NYSE:LNC traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $28.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 460,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,890,287. The stock has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.94, a PEG ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 1.80. Lincoln National has a 12-month low of $18.50 and a 12-month high of $32.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $28.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 11.31% and a return on equity of 19.50%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, Director Owen Ryan acquired 10,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.90 per share, for a total transaction of $259,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $259,000. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LNC. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lincoln National by 3,930.8% in the third quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.