Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Trading 5.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) was up 5.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $35.49 and last traded at $35.74. Approximately 270,248 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 1,253,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LNC shares. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $38.00 to $36.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.40.

Lincoln National Trading Up 3.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.25, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.78. The company’s fifty day moving average is $33.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.36.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.61 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 18.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lincoln National Co. will post 6.97 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 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is currently 128.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln National news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 2,863 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total value of $103,068.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 99,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,587,184. The trade was a 2.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LNC. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 535.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Lincoln National by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter worth $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln National

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.