Alliancebernstein L.P. Raises Stock Holdings in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 215,871 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 42,822 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.13% of Lincoln National worth $6,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Lincoln National by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,199 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. raised its stake in Lincoln National by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 6,610 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Lincoln National by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,394 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,242,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,618,188. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $35.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 1.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.56. Lincoln National Co. has a 52 week low of $25.80 and a 52 week high of $39.85. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National's payout ratio is currently 9.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LNC shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.91.

Lincoln National Profile

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.