Insider Selling: Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) EVP Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.46, for a total value of $344,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 206,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,104,239.14. This trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $34.51. 2,825,829 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,221,714. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.50, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.39. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $27.58 and a twelve month high of $46.82.

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

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is 33.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Lincoln National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.58.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 1st quarter valued at about $241,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 30.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 71,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,585,000 after buying an additional 16,991 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 316.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,123,000 after acquiring an additional 44,936 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 623,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,383,000 after acquiring an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $701,000 after acquiring an additional 5,486 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lincoln National

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.