Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Target Cut by Mizuho

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price target decreased by investment analysts at Mizuho from $53.00 to $49.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Mizuho’s price target suggests a potential upside of 18.60% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on LNC. Barclays increased their target price on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Lincoln National from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. National Bank Financial set a $49.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.62.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Lincoln National stock traded down $0.77 on Wednesday, reaching $41.31. 1,891,335 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,035,064. The stock has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 3.57, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $32.18 and a twelve month high of $47.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $43.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.09.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $4.93 billion for 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 was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln National news, Director Gary C. Kelly sold 15,007 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,685.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total transaction 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at $835,360,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the second quarter valued at $63,112,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Lincoln National by 24.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $275,304,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,179 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Lincoln National by 509.0% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 683,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,248,000 after purchasing an additional 570,884 shares during the period. Finally, Interval Partners LP raised its holdings in Lincoln National by 305.5% during the 4th quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 616,491 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,452,000 after purchasing an additional 464,448 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, operating under the Lincoln Financial Group brand, is a financial services company that provides insurance and retirement solutions primarily in the United States. Its businesses serve individuals, families, employers and institutions through a portfolio of life insurance, annuities and workplace benefit products.

The company’s offerings include term and permanent life insurance, variable and fixed annuities, and retirement plan services designed to support income and financial planning needs.