Sciencast Management LP Acquires 34,236 Shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Sciencast Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) by 92.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,236 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $2,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lincoln National by 121.7% during the 4th quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 2,323 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of LNC stock opened at $36.13 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.72. The stock has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.76. Lincoln National Co. has a 12 month low of $25.80 and a 12 month high of $39.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. 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 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. On average, research analysts expect that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.98%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Lincoln National from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.40.

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.