WINTON GROUP Ltd Takes Position in Lincoln National Corporation $LNC

WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $887,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LNC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $87,362,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,903,720 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $802,717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,934 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 25.3% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,730,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $231,121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157,599 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Lincoln National by 21.1% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Lincoln National by 20.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,645,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $160,732,000 after buying an additional 774,721 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of LNC traded up $0.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $32.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 178,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,230,707. The company has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a fifty day moving average of $39.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.95. Lincoln National Corporation has a twelve month low of $27.58 and a twelve month high of $46.82.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.85 billion. Lincoln National had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 18.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.91 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln National Corporation will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.5%. Lincoln National’s payout ratio is presently 33.90%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln National

In related news, EVP Sean Woodroffe sold 8,000 shares of Lincoln National stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 198,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,487,725.66. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP James Waltman Reid sold 3,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.81, for a total value of $127,520.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,286.27. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,050 shares of company stock valued at $734,041. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LNC. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln National in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays cut their price objective on Lincoln National from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln National in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Lincoln National from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $41.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.46.

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.