Algebris UK Ltd Reduces Stock Holdings in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Algebris UK Ltd cut its stake in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 698,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 123,670 shares during the quarter. Lincoln National comprises about 5.4% of Algebris UK Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Algebris UK Ltd’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $21,401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LNC. Vinva Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in Lincoln National in the fourth quarter valued at about $173,000. Xponance Inc. grew its position in shares of Lincoln National by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 7,973 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 1,404 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 40,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,278,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lincoln National by 53.2% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 47,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after acquiring an additional 16,648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln National by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 531,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,841,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares in the last quarter. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LNC. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Lincoln National from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln National presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.40.

Lincoln National Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Lincoln National stock opened at $36.55 on Wednesday. Lincoln National Co. has a 1 year low of $25.80 and a 1 year high of $39.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a PE ratio of 1.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $35.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.64.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.92%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.79%.

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.