Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Research Coverage Started at Mizuho

Mizuho began coverage on shares of Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $52.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on LNC. Zacks Research downgraded Lincoln National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Lincoln National to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.67.

Lincoln National Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:LNC opened at $45.27 on Monday. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $27.58 and a 52-week high of $46.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $41.10 and a 200 day moving average of $38.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a PE ratio of 4.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 11.49%.The business had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.15, for a total transaction of $155,363.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 118,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,253,187.75. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Owen Ryan bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $42.17 per share, with a total value of $84,340.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $506,040. This represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,354,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 74.3% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $317,000. Finally, Steadtrust LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at approximately $625,000. 72.81% of the stock is 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.