Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Given New $44.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) had its price target lifted by Evercore ISI from $41.00 to $44.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the financial services provider's stock.

LNC has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.10.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Lincoln National stock traded down $1.22 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $37.55. 1,659,771 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,710,548. Lincoln National has a 12-month low of $25.60 and a 12-month high of $39.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $6.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.79. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $33.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.95.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in Lincoln National by 1.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,227,993 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $196,244,000 after acquiring an additional 79,955 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Lincoln National by 4.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,763,703 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $150,104,000 after acquiring an additional 193,025 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lincoln National by 4.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,373,487 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $106,322,000 after acquiring an additional 152,622 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Lincoln National by 7.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,309,453 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $104,281,000 after acquiring an additional 223,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Lincoln National by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,876,319 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $91,208,000 after acquiring an additional 56,614 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

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.