Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Price Target Raised to $42.00

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Morgan Stanley from $39.00 to $42.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on LNC. Evercore ISI upped 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. TD Cowen increased 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. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective 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. One equities 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $37.40.

Lincoln National Trading Down 5.5 %

LNC traded down $2.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $35.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,451,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,618,548. Lincoln National has a twelve month low of $25.60 and a twelve month high of $39.85. The stock has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 1.95, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.76. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $34.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.33. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National's payout ratio is 9.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln National

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of 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 increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,763,703 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $150,104,000 after purchasing an additional 193,025 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln National by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,373,487 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $106,322,000 after purchasing an additional 152,622 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,309,453 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,281,000 after buying an additional 223,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 56,614 shares in 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.