Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Upgraded by Barclays to Overweight Rating

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) was upgraded by research analysts at Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $45.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $42.00. Barclays‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 21.80% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $39.00 price target on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $40.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.21.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of LNC stock opened at $36.95 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Lincoln National has a 12-month low of $32.18 and a 12-month high of $46.82. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.96. The company has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.17.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.07% and a net margin of 9.17%.The business had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Craigt T. Beazer sold 30,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.45, for a total transaction of $1,033,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bain Capital Prairie LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at about $835,360,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter worth about $101,114,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Lincoln National by 24.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,755,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $275,304,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,179 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Lincoln National by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,681,158 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,361,835 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,831,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

About Lincoln National

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.