Greenleaf Trust Sells 1,485 Shares of Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC)

Greenleaf Trust trimmed its position in Lincoln National Co. (NYSE:LNC) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,485 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Lincoln National were worth $299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LNC. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Lincoln National by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 38,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $928,000 after purchasing an additional 12,143 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Lincoln National by 787.2% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 3,936 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Lincoln National by 1,313.0% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 76,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,886,000 after purchasing an additional 70,966 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Lincoln National by 452.1% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 105,577 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 86,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impact Partnership Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln National during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $164,000. 72.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln National Price Performance

NYSE LNC opened at $28.73 on Wednesday. Lincoln National Co. has a 1 year low of $18.50 and a 1 year high of $32.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.37.

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

Lincoln National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. Lincoln National’s dividend payout ratio is presently -36.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LNC. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Lincoln National from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lincoln National from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have 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 data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.45.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Owen Ryan acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.90 per share, for a total transaction of $259,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $259,000. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

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.