Should You Buy Lincoln National Corp (LNC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Hold
Latest Price
40.910
1 Day change
0.10%
52 Week Range
46.820
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/26
Lincoln National Corp (LNC) is not a strong buy at the moment for a beginner investor with a long-term focus. While the stock has some positive catalysts, such as increased revenue and certain optimistic analyst ratings, the negative financial performance, lack of strong trading signals, and neutral sentiment from hedge funds and insiders suggest a cautious approach. The technical indicators also do not provide a clear entry point, and the options data reflects bearish sentiment. Therefore, holding or waiting for a better entry point is recommended.
Technical Analysis
The MACD is negative and contracting, RSI is neutral at 32.584, and moving averages are converging, indicating no strong trend. The stock is trading near its support level (S1: 39.57), but there is no clear bullish signal. The stock has a 60% chance to decline slightly in the next day (-0.97%) and week (-1.45%).
Options Data
Bearish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
The options data shows bearish sentiment with a high put-call volume ratio of 11.14 and a put-call open interest ratio of 1.09. Implied volatility is moderate at 34.53, with an IV percentile of 58 and IV rank of 8.77.
Technical Summary
Sell
7
Buy
2
Positive Catalysts
Some analysts, like Jefferies and Mizuho, have positive ratings and higher price targets, citing undervaluation and potential for free cash flow improvements.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Analysts like Barclays and BofA have lowered price targets, citing headwinds like spread compression and rising loss costs. Options data indicates bearish sentiment, and technical indicators do not show a strong bullish trend.
Financial Performance
In Q3 2025, revenue increased to $4.898 billion (up 41.72% YoY), but net income dropped to $411 million (-173.13% YoY), and EPS declined to 2.12 (-164.44% YoY). Gross margin remained flat at 0%.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Analyst ratings are mixed. Jefferies has a Buy rating with a price target of $59, while Mizuho has an Outperform rating with a $52 target. However, Barclays and BofA have Neutral ratings with lower price targets of $45 and $43, respectively. The consensus outlook is cautious optimism with some concerns about headwinds in the insurance sector.
Wall Street analysts forecast LNC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LNC is 46.82 USD with a low forecast of 39 USD and a high forecast of 59 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
11 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast LNC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LNC is 46.82 USD with a low forecast of 39 USD and a high forecast of 59 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 40.870
Low
39
Averages
46.82
High
59
Current: 40.870
Low
39
Averages
46.82
High
59
Barclays
Equal Weight
downgrade
$46 -> $45
AI Analysis
2026-01-08
Reason
Barclays
Price Target
$46 -> $45
AI Analysis
2026-01-08
downgrade
Equal Weight
Reason
Barclays lowered the firm's price target on Lincoln National to $45 from $46 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares. The firm is "cautiously optimistic" on life insurers heading into 2026, saying capital strength, cash flow, and consolidation offset headwinds like spread compression and technology spend. Barclays adjusted ratings and price targets as part of its 2026 outlook.
BofA
Neutral
downgrade
$44 -> $43
2026-01-05
Reason
BofA
Price Target
$44 -> $43
2026-01-05
downgrade
Neutral
Reason
BofA lowered the firm's price target on Lincoln National to $43 from $44 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. As in 2025, the pricing trends for most P&C insurance products do not appear positive, the analyst tells investors in a research note. While pricing for liability lines remains positive, it seems that loss costs are rising more steeply than prices, the analyst says, adding that personal auto rates are flattish, while some investors are expecting decline in response to high profitability. The firm added, however, that underwriter valuations hardly look expensive, even as fundamentals have tipped in the "wrong direction."
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for LNC
