UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $32.00 to $38.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 31.60% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on LNC. Barclays lifted their price target on 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 increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.45.

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Lincoln National Price Performance

NYSE LNC traded down $1.10 on Wednesday, reaching $28.88. 1,177,508 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,565,978. The stock has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 1.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.55. 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 has a 12 month low of $25.80 and a 12 month high of $39.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.18.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 18.47%. As a group, research analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Lincoln National by 40.5% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 853 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the fourth quarter worth $214,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at $3,044,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 594.2% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 152,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,843,000 after buying an additional 130,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Lincoln National by 204.0% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 37,888 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,201,000 after buying an additional 25,424 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.