Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Given New $44.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNCGet Free Report) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $43.00 to $44.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 26.48% from the stock’s current price.

LNC has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.86.

Get Our Latest Analysis on LNC

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.79. 150,194 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,148,556. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.43. Lincoln National has a 1-year low of $31.61 and a 1-year high of $46.82. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNCGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.93 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln National will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In related news, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln purchased 2,254,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.09 per share, for a total transaction of $25,002,249.74. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,784,322 shares in the company, valued at $108,508,130.98. This trade represents a 29.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total value of $127,520.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Lincoln National by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $275,304,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,179 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Lincoln National by 33.1% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 0.5% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 338,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,006,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 3.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,823,152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,722,000 after purchasing an additional 141,994 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 19.4% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 6,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lincoln National

(Get Free Report)

Lincoln National Corporation, doing business as Lincoln Financial Group, is a diversified financial services holding company focused on providing retirement, insurance, and wealth management solutions in the United States and select international markets. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, the company operates through several business segments, including Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. Its offerings are designed to help individuals, families, and institutions plan and prepare for their financial futures.

The Retirement Plan Services segment delivers recordkeeping, administrative services, and investment management for defined contribution and defined benefit plans.

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Analyst Recommendations for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC)

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