Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) EVP Craigt Beazer Sells 17,980 Shares of Stock

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) EVP Craigt Beazer sold 17,980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total value of $764,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 87,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,727,335. The trade was a 17.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Lincoln National Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE LNC opened at $42.73 on Wednesday. Lincoln National Corporation has a 52 week low of $32.18 and a 52 week high of $47.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $41.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.04.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 16.36% and a return on equity of 17.02%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.04 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 11th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Friday, October 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LNC. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 73.8% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 266,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,737,000 after buying an additional 113,243 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,106,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $215,858,000 after buying an additional 215,007 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its stake in Lincoln National by 557.5% in the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 158,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,585,000 after acquiring an additional 133,973 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,112,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Lincoln National by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 522,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,561,000 after acquiring an additional 45,549 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Lincoln National

Here are the key news stories impacting Lincoln National this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays maintained its Buy rating on Lincoln National, providing a positive analyst signal. Broader analyst views remain mixed, with the stock carrying a consensus Hold rating. Barclays rating article
• Neutral Sentiment: Lincoln Financial announced a December dividend on its preferred stock. This is a routine distribution and does not by itself indicate a change in the company’s outlook. Preferred stock dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Three executive vice presidents reported selling a combined 87,914 LNC shares for about $3.53 million. James Reid sold 52,434 shares, Sean Woodroffe sold 17,500, and Craig Beazer sold 17,980; each reduced their holdings but continued to own shares. Multiple insider sales can concern investors, although the filings do not establish the motivation for the trades. Reid SEC filing Woodroffe SEC filing Beazer SEC filing

Lincoln National Company Profile

Lincoln National Corporation, operating as Lincoln Financial Group, is a financial services and insurance company whose businesses focus on protecting income and helping individuals and employers plan for financial needs. Its offerings include life insurance, annuities, workplace benefits and retirement plan services. The company serves individuals, employers and retirement plan participants primarily in the United States. Its workplace protection products include benefits such as disability and life insurance, while its retirement services support employers and employees with workplace savings plans.