EntryPoint Capital LLC Takes Position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln National by 190.9% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 741,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,508,000 after buying an additional 486,478 shares during the period. M Holdings Securities Inc. bought a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in Lincoln National during the 4th quarter valued at about $915,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln National in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,119,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lincoln National by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. 72.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln National Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of Lincoln National stock opened at $35.72 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.94, a PEG 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that Lincoln National Co. will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.04%. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln National from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.