Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Down 5.9%

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)’s stock price traded down 5.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $25.80 and last traded at $26.07. 1,521,260 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 1,874,454 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Lincoln National from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “c” rating to a “d+” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.45.

Lincoln National Stock Up 4.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.17 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 11.31% and a return on equity of 19.50%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln National Co. will post 6.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.41%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is 24.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Owen Ryan acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.90 per share, with a total value of $259,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $259,000. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Lincoln National in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 3,930.8% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors 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.