Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its stake in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) by 62.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,703 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 26,639 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 3,930.8% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LNC opened at $27.81 on Friday. Lincoln National Co. has a 12-month low of $18.50 and a 12-month high of $32.43. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.13. Lincoln National had a positive return on equity of 20.81% and a negative net margin of 6.46%. The firm had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. On average, analysts expect that Lincoln National Co. will post 6.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.47%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -36.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Lincoln National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lincoln National from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lincoln National from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lincoln National from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln National has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lincoln National news, Director Owen Ryan bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.90 per share, for a total transaction of $259,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $259,000. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lincoln National 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.