Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price objective hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $43.00 to $44.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price suggests a potential upside of 26.48% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. 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 note on Monday, March 9th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays decreased their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.86.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of LNC traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.79. 150,194 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,148,556. The company has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 4.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.20. Lincoln National has a 52-week low of $31.61 and a 52-week high of $46.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $35.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.25.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of Lincoln National 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,487,725.66. The trade was a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder National Life Insuranc Lincoln bought 2,254,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.09 per share, with a total value of $25,002,249.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,784,322 shares in the company, valued at $108,508,130.98. This represents a 29.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock worth $734,041. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LNC. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the first quarter worth about $241,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Lincoln National by 30.9% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 71,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,585,000 after buying an additional 16,991 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Lincoln National by 316.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $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 position in Lincoln National by 5.0% during 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 worth $22,383,000 after buying an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln National Company Profile

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.