Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC – Get Rating) in a research report report published on Thursday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

LNC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Lincoln National from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Sunday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Lincoln National from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Monday, January 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $36.21.

Lincoln National Trading Down 8.2 %

Lincoln National stock opened at $20.30 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.53 and a beta of 1.81. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $20.18 and a 52-week high of $69.91.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.87%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently -13.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LNC. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 11.6% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 17,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,835 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 4.2% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,980 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 2,066.8% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 17,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,161,000 after acquiring an additional 16,948 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 24.7% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 46,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,059,000 after acquiring an additional 9,279 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 107.8% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 5,423 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.00% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln National

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Lincoln National Corp. is a holding company, which operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses through its subsidiary companies. It provides advice and solutions that help empower people to take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. It operates through the following segments: Annuities, Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, Group Protection, and Other Operations.