Vest Financial LLC Grows Stake in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 384,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 31,441 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.20% of Lincoln National worth $15,519,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. DMC Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 9.5% in the third quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 29,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,577 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 21.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,952,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $240,051,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035,505 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 11.3% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 9,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 1.8% during the third quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC now owns 58,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after buying an additional 1,026 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 3,519 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.15, for a total value of $155,363.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 118,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,253,187.75. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Owen Ryan acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $42.17 per share, with a total value of $84,340.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $506,040. This trade represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lincoln National Trading Up 3.2%

NYSE:LNC opened at $41.02 on Thursday. Lincoln National Corporation has a one year low of $27.58 and a one year high of $46.82. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $43.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.20. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 11.49%.The business had revenue of $4.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.06 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on LNC. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. National Bankshares set a $45.00 price target on Lincoln National in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Monday, December 15th. Four equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.25.

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.