15 Best Dividend Leaders to Buy Right Now

12. Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 37

On March 11, Barclays lowered its price recommendation on Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) to $44 from $45. It reiterated an Equal Weight rating on the shares. The firm said it revised targets across the life insurance group after reviewing cash flow and private credit exposures in an effort to separate “perceived from actual risk.”

During the company’s Q4 earnings call, management said several updates had been added to the outlook section of the investor supplement released that morning. The updates were meant to highlight the progress the company has made and to outline some of its medium-term objectives. The supplement presented these targets as potential ranges covering the next two years.

Executive VP and CFO Christopher Neczypor said the combined impact of these initiatives over the next two years is expected to support continued growth in capital generation and free cash flow. He noted that this improvement should eventually lead to higher dividends being paid by operating entities to the holding company. The company also expects the Group Protection segment to continue operating at margins of “8% or above.” At the same time, it plans to keep growing spread-based annuity account balances and further improve free cash flow conversion.

Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) is a holding company that operates several insurance and retirement businesses through its subsidiaries. Its segments include Annuities, Life Insurance, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services.