Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target Raised to $38.00 at UBS Group

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its target price increased by UBS Group from $32.00 to $38.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.45.

Lincoln National Price Performance

NYSE:LNC opened at $37.32 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Lincoln National has a 12-month low of $25.80 and a 12-month high of $39.85. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.55.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 18.47%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.82%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LNC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 59.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 149,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,711,000 after acquiring an additional 55,992 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in Lincoln National by 42.9% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 75,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,385,000 after purchasing an additional 22,707 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,118,000. Holocene Advisors LP grew its stake in Lincoln National by 127.4% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 137,689 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,339,000 after buying an additional 77,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter worth $828,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Company Profile

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.