Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New Investment in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 75,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,662,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC opened at $36.66 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.26. The company has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.17. Lincoln National Corporation has a 12 month low of $32.18 and a 12 month high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $4.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.72 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNC has been the subject of a number of research reports. National Bank Financial set a $40.00 target price on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Lincoln National from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In other news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total value of $1,033,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,579,561.70. This trade represents a 22.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National 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.