UBS Group Cuts Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target to $37.00

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $43.00 to $37.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 6.09% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on LNC. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Lincoln National from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. National Bank Financial set a $45.00 target price on Lincoln National in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.77.

Lincoln National Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of LNC traded down $0.78 on Thursday, hitting $34.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,216,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,283,890. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $36.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.99. Lincoln National has a fifty-two week low of $28.23 and a fifty-two week high of $46.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.23.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.35. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.52% and a net margin of 6.46%.The business had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.91 EPS. Lincoln National’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.74, for a total value of $261,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 198,159 shares in the company, valued at $6,487,725.66. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total value of $127,520.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,957,286.27. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041 in the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 1st quarter worth $241,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 30.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 71,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,585,000 after buying an additional 16,991 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 316.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,123,000 after buying an additional 44,936 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 5.0% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 623,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,383,000 after buying an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 39.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $701,000 after buying an additional 5,486 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lincoln National

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.