Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $32.21 and traded as high as $32.22. Lincoln National shares last traded at $31.84, with a volume of 1,513,654 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Lincoln National from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.25.

Lincoln National Stock Up 1.7 %

The business's 50 day moving average is $33.67 and its 200 day moving average is $32.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.77.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.42. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.51%. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio is currently 128.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Christopher Kennedy sold 2,863 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $103,068.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 99,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,587,184. This represents a 2.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln National

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 535.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,074 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 95.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter worth $40,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln National by 67.1% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Lincoln National Company 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.