Kentucky Retirement Systems Purchases Shares of 21,660 Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Kentucky Retirement Systems acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 21,660 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $769,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth approximately $835,360,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,199,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $214,504,000 after buying an additional 40,676 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln National by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,823,152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,722,000 after buying an additional 141,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Lincoln National by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,959,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $131,801,000 after buying an additional 14,842 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Key Lincoln National News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations: Lincoln Financial reported adjusted operating income of $2.24 per diluted share, above the roughly $1.96–$2.00 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $4.93 billion versus expectations of $4.89 billion. Revenue increased 12.3% year over year, supporting investor confidence in the company’s profitability and execution. Lincoln Financial Reports 2026 Second Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Legacy reinsurance deal adds to the bullish reaction: Coverage indicates that a major legacy-block reinsurance transaction, together with the earnings beat, helped drive a sharp post-results increase in LNC shares. The deal may reduce legacy risk and improve the company’s financial flexibility. Lincoln National Is Up After Earnings Beat and Major Legacy Block Reinsurance Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets and ratings: Mizuho increased its target from $51 to $53 and assigned an “outperform” rating. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its target from $46 to $51 and also rated the shares “outperform,” signaling continued upside potential after the earnings report. Analyst price-target updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Preferred dividends declared: Lincoln’s board declared semiannual dividends on its Series C and Series D preferred stock. The announcement demonstrates continued capital-distribution activity but has limited direct impact on common-stock earnings. Preferred Stock Dividends
• Negative Sentiment: Some underlying metrics trailed estimates: Analysts noted that sales were below expectations, and quarterly EPS declined from $2.36 in the year-ago period despite the current-quarter beat. These factors could limit further upside if investors focus on growth quality and sustainability. Lincoln Financial Group Q2 Earnings

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 103,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,579,561.70. This trade represents a 22.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNC opened at $45.60 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Lincoln National Corporation has a 1 year low of $32.18 and a 1 year high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 17.35% and a net margin of 12.21%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.36 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.43.

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.