Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) Trading 7.2% Higher on Earnings Beat

Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) shares shot up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $35.30 and last traded at $36.21. 180,852 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 1,358,067 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.77.

The financial services provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 2.51%.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.04%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 128.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on LNC. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lincoln National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on Lincoln National from $38.00 to $36.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln National by 535.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Lincoln National during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Trading Up 5.8 %

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’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.79.

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.