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

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC – Get Rating) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $69.67.

LNC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research lowered Lincoln National from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup initiated coverage on Lincoln National in a research note on Monday, May 23rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $78.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 6th. Barclays dropped their price target on Lincoln National from $66.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 10th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new stake in Lincoln National in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Private Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln National by 48.2% during the 1st quarter. Private Capital Group LLC now owns 483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its position in shares of Lincoln National by 735.6% during the 1st quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the period. Finally, Glassman Wealth Services increased its position in shares of Lincoln National by 136.6% during the 4th quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.40% of the company’s stock.

Shares of NYSE:LNC opened at $47.91 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $46.07 and a 52-week high of $77.57. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.96. The company has a market capitalization of $8.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.91.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.97 by ($0.31). Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.62% and a return on equity of 7.68%. The company had revenue of $4.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 9.67 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 8th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.47%.

Lincoln National Company Profile (Get Rating)

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Annuities, Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. The Annuities segment offers fixed, variable, and indexed variable annuities.

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