Lincoln National’s (LNC) Moderate Buy Rating Reiterated at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed their moderate buy rating on shares of Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $43.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on LNC. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. National Bank Financial set a $45.00 target price on Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.38.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Lincoln National stock opened at $34.20 on Thursday. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $27.58 and a 52-week high of $46.82. 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’s fifty day moving average is $37.57 and its 200 day moving average is $40.31. The company has a market cap of $6.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.44, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.3%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.90%.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of the business’s 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 directly owned 198,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,487,725.66. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total transaction of $127,520.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041 over the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the second quarter worth $28,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.