Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Has $1.45 Million Position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) by 22.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,487 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $1,449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LNC. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Lincoln National by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.81% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln National Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Lincoln National stock opened at $36.55 on Wednesday. Lincoln National Co. has a 52-week low of $25.80 and a 52-week high of $39.85. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.04. Lincoln National had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 17.76%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.