Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Raises Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target to $40.00

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $37.00 to $40.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 4.18% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.40.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNC opened at $38.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Lincoln National has a 1 year low of $25.60 and a 1 year high of $38.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a PE ratio of 2.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $33.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.57.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 18.47%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Lincoln National by 7.2% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,309,453 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $104,281,000 after purchasing an additional 223,129 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 64,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after buying an additional 10,560 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth about $1,075,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln National by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,373,487 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,322,000 after acquiring an additional 152,622 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,094,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lincoln National

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, universal life insurance (UL), indexed universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL and VUL products, and critical illness and long-term care riders.