Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.40.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $36.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th.

Lincoln National Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE LNC opened at $33.92 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.41. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $25.09 and a 1 year high of $36.98.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.31%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 128.57%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 2,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $103,068.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 99,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,587,184. The trade was a 2.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 535.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Lincoln National by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.