Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Decreases Stake in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lowered its stake in Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 47.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 148,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 136,591 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.08% of Lincoln National worth $6,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LNC. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter worth $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 61.8% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln National news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,487,725.66. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Stock Up 2.1%

LNC opened at $34.75 on Friday. Lincoln National Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $31.69 and a fifty-two week high of $46.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.03, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.17.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. Lincoln National had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 18.07%. The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is presently 20.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on LNC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Lincoln National from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.00.

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.