Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNCGet Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.91.

A number of analysts have commented on LNC shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their target price on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday.

Get Our Latest Report on LNC

Lincoln National Price Performance

Lincoln National stock opened at $29.52 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.56. Lincoln National has a 12-month low of $25.80 and a 12-month high of $39.85.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNCGet Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 18.47%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.10%. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is 9.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,951,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,189,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Lincoln National by 301.2% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,522,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,269,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142,759 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 84.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,543,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,948,000 after acquiring an additional 708,584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 190.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 741,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,508,000 after purchasing an additional 486,478 shares during the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln National Company Profile

(Get Free Report

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC)

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