Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Trading Up 7.2% Following Strong Earnings

Shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) were up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $35.30 and last traded at $36.21. Approximately 180,852 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 1,358,067 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.77.

The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.51%.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.86%. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is 128.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Lincoln National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LNC. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $32.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.79.

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.