Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) EVP Sean Woodroffe Sells 11,000 Shares

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total value of $498,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 119,947 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,431,200.16. This represents a 8.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Lincoln National Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:LNC opened at $45.16 on Wednesday. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $47.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.81.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.36 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LNC shares. Barclays raised shares of Lincoln National from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $42.00 to $45.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.43.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. NBT Bank N A NY increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 2,051.1% during the first quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

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.