Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) had its price target increased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $36.00 to $39.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 0.95% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lincoln National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.40.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of LNC stock opened at $39.37 on Friday. Lincoln National has a 1-year low of $25.60 and a 1-year high of $39.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $33.23 and its 200 day moving average is $32.66. The company has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.15, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.79. 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 (NYSE:LNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. Research analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Lincoln National by 535.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Lincoln National by 95.3% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.