Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP cut its stake in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) by 24.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,071,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 353,514 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.63% of Lincoln National worth $33,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LNC. M Holdings Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 182.2% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Lincoln National by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company's stock.

Lincoln National Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LNC traded up $0.52 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $30.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,113,920 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,619,184. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $34.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.03. Lincoln National Co. has a one year low of $25.80 and a one year high of $39.85. The stock has a market cap of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 1.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 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 Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LNC. Barclays increased their price target on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Lincoln National from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $42.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln National has a consensus 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.