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Lincoln National Corporation

LNC
51
Insurance - Life · Financial Services
Also trades as: 0JV3.L
Price
$42.15
+0.17 (+0.40%)
Market Cap
$8.07B
Winston Score
51
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Strong
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Good
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Good

Share count falling — buybacks

1.6% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 189.1M (2021) → 186.1M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Lincoln National Corporation sells life insurance, annuities, and retirement savings products to individuals and employers across the United States. Its main products include term and universal life insurance policies, variable and fixed annuities, and group benefits like disability insurance sold through workplace plans. The company is one of the larger life insurers in the U.S. and owns the well-known Lincoln Financial brand.

Lincoln National makes money by collecting premiums and fees from policyholders, then investing those funds to earn returns that exceed what it pays out in claims. It operates almost entirely in the United States and has roughly $6.4 billion in market value. Its competitive position depends on its distribution network of financial advisors and employer relationships, which are hard to replace quickly. The main risk the company faces is rising claims costs or poor investment returns, both of which can squeeze profits when interest rates shift or markets become volatile.

Politician Trades

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1 Congressional buy and 1 sell on LNC in the last 12 months.

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+11.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

-100.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (7%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

10.4%ownership

Rising

Insiders increasing their stake — aligned with shareholders

Cash Runway

~5 years

$10.2B cash & investments

$10.2B cash & investments at current burn rate

Growth context

Lincoln National Corporation is growing revenue at 12% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
56.0%
Premium pricing power — 56.0% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
29.3%
Excellent — 29.3% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
13.9%
Good — 13.9% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+7.2%
Steady sales growth (+7.2% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-13.9%
Earnings shrinking (-13.9% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
3/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
-65%
Weak — only -65% of profit becomes cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
-6.9%
Burning cash (-6.9%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.60
Moderate — manageable debt (0.60)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
7.84x
Adequate interest coverage (7.8x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
3.5x
Attractive valuation — P/E 3.5

P/E under 10. The price tag is small relative to last year's profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
-1.5
SLOWING
Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
4.22%
Healthy income — 4.22% yield

Generous yield. Worth checking whether the payout is sustainable.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+0.0%
Dividend flat

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