Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) shares 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 changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on Lincoln National from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.25.

Lincoln National Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $33.66 and its 200-day moving average is $32.21. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.74, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.77.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.42. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.51%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. Lincoln National’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is 128.57%.

Insider Activity at Lincoln National

In other Lincoln National 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 value of $103,068.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln National

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LNC. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Lincoln National by 67.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 821 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 488.6% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 11,089 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 9,205 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in Lincoln National by 155.9% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 58,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,807,000 after purchasing an additional 35,400 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Lincoln National by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 45,854 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,435,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the period. Finally, Altus Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the 2nd quarter valued at about $307,000. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.