LINCOLN NATIONAL CORP

LNC

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates through 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.

About the company

Country: United StatesPrice: $41.96Market Cap: $8.0B

Investment snapshot

44%positive consensus

Scored 1d ago

Positive

BUY / PASS

Neutral / negative

3 / 6

NEUTRAL / FAIL

Median fair value

$96.60

+130.2% vs price

Models with upside

7 / 16

Positive margin of safety

Strongest signal

LNC undervalued: all 7 models price fair value above $41.96 (median $96.60)

Key risk

Split decision: 6 FAIL · 4 BUY · 3 PASS · 3 NEUTRAL

Framework analysis

Verdict	Meaning
BUY	Positive purchase signal: the framework's buy requirements are met.
PASS	The company clears the framework's checklist or screen, but the framework does not produce a buy signal. For valuation frameworks this often means margin of safety is missing, insufficient, or unavailable; some screen-only frameworks have no intrinsic-value BUY state.
NEUTRAL	Neither a positive nor negative conclusion. It does not mean to hold an existing position.
FAIL	The company does not clear the framework's requirements.
Ranked	Ranked strategies do not use PASS: selected cohort is BUY, outside the cohort is FAIL, and unranked is NEUTRAL.

Current investor scores use trailing 12-month flows and the latest balance sheet where supported. Multi-year and EPS tests retain annual history; each framework shows its financial basis below. Intrinsic values use annual financials.

Metric	Graham Defensive Value	Buffett Quality Compounder	Lynch GARP	Piotroski F-Score	Dreman Contrarian Value	Munger Quality Focus	Pabrai Dhandho Framework	Akre Three-Legged Stool	Marks Risk-Aware Value	Ackman Activist Value	Templeton Global Bargain Hunter	Sleep Scale Economies Shared	Asness Systematic Factors	Neff Low-P/E Total Return	Schloss Asset-Value Discipline	O'Shaughnessy Systematic Factor Composite
Verdict	BUY	FAIL	FAIL	FAIL	BUY	PASS	NEUTRAL	FAIL	FAIL	PASS	BUY	FAIL	NEUTRAL	PASS	BUY	NEUTRAL
Score
Analysis	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…	Checking access…
Intrinsic Value (annual)		N/A		N/A		N/A				N/A		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Margin of Safety	+51.6%	N/A	+59.8%	N/A	+56.6%	N/A	+23.0%	+66.9%	+63.0%	N/A	+31.5%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Financial Basis	TTM ended 2026-09-30 · Annual history · FY 2025 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 Latest source filing: 2026-02-19 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 · TTM ended 2026-09-30 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 Latest source filing: 2026-02-19 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · TTM ended 2026-09-30 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 · Market data at 2026-11-01 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Qualitative assessment · Annual history · FY 2025 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Qualitative assessment · Annual history · FY 2025 Latest source filing: 2026-02-19 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · Qualitative assessment · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · Qualitative assessment Latest source filing: 2026-02-19 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · TTM ended 2026-09-30 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 · Market data at 2026-11-01 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · Price history 2025-01-01–2026-11-01 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · Qualitative assessment Latest source filing: 2026-02-19 Score computed: 2026-11-14	TTM ended 2026-09-30 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 · Price history 2025-01-01–2026-11-01 · Annual history · FY 2025 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 Latest source filing: 2026-02-19 Score computed: 2026-11-14	Annual history · FY 2025 · Balance sheet at 2026-09-30 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14	TTM ended 2026-09-30 · Annual history · FY 2025 · Price history 2025-01-01–2026-11-01 Latest source filing: 2026-11-05 Score computed: 2026-11-14

Where It Passes

Valuation models100% pass✓ 7▾
LNC undervalued: all 7 models price fair value above $41.96 (median $96.60)
Graham fair value$86.75
✓Graham+51.6% margin vs $41.96
Lynch fair value$104.31
✓Lynch+59.8% margin vs $41.96
Dreman fair value$96.60
✓Dreman+56.6% margin vs $41.96
Pabrai fair value$54.47
✓Pabrai+23.0% margin vs $41.96
Akre fair value$126.91
✓Akre+66.9% margin vs $41.96
Marks fair value$113.48
✓Marks+63.0% margin vs $41.96
Templeton fair value$61.28
✓Templeton+31.5% margin vs $41.96
Valuation58% pass✓ 19✗ 7▾
7 of 12 pass — Dreman, Ackman, Templeton +2 more object
Price / 3-yr avg EPS6.5x
✓Graham<= 15x
Price-to-Book Ratio0.7x
✓Graham<= 1.5x
P/E x P/B4.80
✓Graham<= 22.5
Basic earnings-growth PEG (dividends excluded)0.40
✓Lynch< 1.0 (ideally < 0.5)
Price / EPS7.2x
✓Dreman< 12x✓Templeton< 12x (fixed ceiling; proxy for the market's cheapest 40%)
Price / (CFO / Shares)N/A (negative CFPS)
✗Dreman< 8x
Price / Book Value per Share0.7x
✓Dreman< 1.2x✓Templeton< 1.5x✓SchlossP/B <= 0.80x (app cutoff)
Valuation ReasonablenessP/E=7.2x
✓MungerP/E < 25 or Owner Earnings Yield > 5%
P/E or FCF YieldP/E=7.2x
✓PabraiP/E < 15 or FCF Yield > 10%
P/B or P/E vs. Historical AverageP/E=7.2x, P/B=0.7x
✓MarksP/E < 15 or P/B < 2.0
Discount to Intrinsic Value56.6% (IV=$96.60 vs Price=$41.96)
✓Marks>= 20% below intrinsic value
Price / FCF per Share
✗Ackman<= 25
Price vs. Trailing Low132% of trailing low ($31.87)
✗Templeton<= 120% of trailing low (certified split-adjusted live window)
Net income / market capitalization+41.46%; #158/6340 (top 2.5%)
✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section✓OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
Positive book equity / market capitalization+1.1795; #1227/6449 (top 19.0%)
✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
Price / Diluted EPS7.2x
✓NeffP/E <= 15x (app proxy for a P/E 40%-60% below the market)
(EPS CAGR % + Dividend Yield %) / P/E3.05
✓Neff> 0.7 (Neff's published traditional edge)
Price / Tangible Book Value per Share0.82x
✓SchlossP/TBV <= 1.00x (app cutoff)
Book Value per Share Change-49.6%
✗SchlossLatest BVPS >= earliest BVPS over >= 3 years (app rule)
Revenue / market capitalization+2.5345; #919/5247 (top 17.5%)
✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
(Operating cash flow - capex) / market capitalization
✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
Trailing six-month price return through the evaluation date+18.90%; #1395/6202 (top 22.5%)
✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
Verdicts54% pass✓ 7✗ 6▾
Split decision: 6 FAIL · 4 BUY · 3 PASS · 3 NEUTRAL
Overall verdict
✓GrahamBUY (5/7)✗BuffettFAIL (1/7)✗LynchFAIL (4/6)✗PiotroskiFAIL (F-Score 2)✓DremanBUY (7/10)✓MungerPASS (2/4)•PabraiNEUTRAL (2/3)✗AkreFAIL (0/6)✗MarksFAIL (3/5)✓AckmanPASS (5/9)✓TempletonBUY (6/8)✗SleepFAIL (1/6)•AsnessNEUTRAL (Not ranked)✓NeffPASS (5/6)✓SchlossBUY (5/7)•OshaughnessyNEUTRAL (Not ranked)

Where It Falls Short

Efficiency0% pass✗ 5▾
All 4 investors flag LNC's efficiency
Revenue / Total Assets Change YoY0.05x -> 0.04x
✗PiotroskiImproved YoY
Return on Invested Capital
✗Munger> 15%
ROIC (high and growing)FY2023: ROIC=unavailable; FY2024: ROIC=unavailable; FY2025: ROIC=unavailable
✗AkreLatest 3 consecutive FYs: ROIC > 15% in each
Reinvestment Rate x ROIC
✗AkreReinvestment Rate * ROIC > 10%
ROIC (5-year)
✗SleepROIC > 12% in a majority of years
Cash Flow20% pass✓ 2✗ 10▾
8 of 10 flag LNC's cash flow — Buffett, Lynch, Piotroski +5 more
Free Cash Flow Proxy
✗BuffettPositive and growing
FCF Positive and Growing
✗LynchPositive and growing
Operating Cash Flow$-167.0M
✗PiotroskiCFO > 0
(CFO / Total Assets) vs ROACFO/Assets=-0.04%, ROA=0.28%
✗PiotroskiCFO/Assets > ROA
Price / (CFO / Shares)N/A (negative CFPS)
✗Dreman< 8x
P/E or FCF YieldP/E=7.2x
✓PabraiP/E < 15 or FCF Yield > 10%
FCF Positive
✗MarksPositive FCF in majority of recent years
(OCF - CapEx) / Market Cap
✗Ackman>= 4%
Price / FCF per Share
✗Ackman<= 25
Positive Operating Cash Flow frequency21/26 years positive
✓SleepPositive OCF in >= 70% of available years
Operating Cash Flow - Capital Expenditures
✗Neff> $0 (app proxy for a strong fundamental case)
(Operating cash flow - capex) / market capitalization
✗OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
Debt & Leverage36% pass✓ 6✗ 7▾
7 of 11 flag LNC's debt & leverage — Buffett, Lynch, Munger +4 more
Debt/Equity & Interest CoverageD/E: 0.57, IC: 6.9x
✗BuffettD/E < 0.5 AND Interest Coverage > 5x
Total Debt / Equity0.68
✗Lynch< 0.33
Cash - Long-term Debt$3.4B
✓LynchPositive preferred
LT Debt / Total Assets Change1.56% -> 1.50%
✓PiotroskiDecreased YoY
Total Debt / Shareholders' Equity0.68
✓Dreman< 0.8✓Templeton< 1.0 (fixed cap; proxy for below-sector-median leverage)✓SchlossD/E < 1.00x
Debt Levels0.68
✗MungerDebt/Equity < 0.5✗AkreDebt/Equity < 0.3
Interest Coverage & Debt/EBITDAIC=6.9x, D/EBITDA=N/A (D&A unavailable)
✗MarksInterest Coverage > 3x; Debt/EBITDA < 4x
Total Debt / Shareholders Equity0.68
✓Ackman<= 1.0
Negative debt-to-equity (higher means less debt)-0.6834; #2807/4210 (top 66.7%)
✗AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
Current Assets / Current Liabilities
✗SchlossCurrent ratio >= 1.50x (app cutoff)
Profitability47% pass✓ 18✗ 14▾
8 of 15 flag LNC's profitability — Graham, Buffett, Piotroski +5 more
Positive EPS (10 years)15/28 years positive
✗GrahamPositive EPS every year for 10 years
EPS Growth (3-yr avg, 10-yr window)
✗Graham>= 33% growth
Net Income Positive (10+ years)26/28 years positive
✗BuffettPositive every year for 10+ years
ROE (up to 5-year arithmetic mean)17.0%
✓Buffett> 15% arithmetic mean (app rule)
Operating Margin (10-yr trend)8.6% (latest)
✗BuffettStable or rising over 10 years
Free Cash Flow Proxy
✗BuffettPositive and growing
Earnings Variance (10-yr CoV)
✗BuffettCoV < 0.3
Retained Earnings Effectiveness
✗Buffett$1 retained -> > $1 market value created
Basic earnings-growth PEG (dividends excluded)0.40
✓Lynch< 1.0 (ideally < 0.5)
3-5 Year EPS CAGR17.9%
✓Lynch15-30% (Fast Grower); > 0% to pass
ROE35.2%
✓Lynch> 15%
Net Income / Total Assets0.28%
✓PiotroskiROA > 0
ROA Change YoY0.84% -> 0.28% (delta: -0.56%)
✗PiotroskiCurrent ROA > Prior ROA
(CFO / Total Assets) vs ROACFO/Assets=-0.04%, ROA=0.28%
✗PiotroskiCFO/Assets > ROA
Pre-Tax Income / Revenue20.0%
✓Dreman>= 8%
Net Income / Shareholders' Equity35.2%
✓Dreman> 12%
Margin of SafetyP/E=7.2x, P/B=0.7x
✓PabraiP/B < 1.5 or P/E < 15
Return on Equity13.2% (3-yr avg)
✗AkreROE > 20% (3-year avg)
Discount to Intrinsic Value56.6% (IV=$96.60 vs Price=$41.96)
✓Marks>= 20% below intrinsic value
Positive Net Income Frequency26/28 years positive
✓MarksPositive net income in >= 7 of last 10 years
Operating Income / Revenue
✗Ackman>= 15%
Net Income / Shareholders Equity35.2%
✓Ackman>= 15%
5-Year EPS CAGR17.9% CAGR over 5 years
✓Templeton> 0% (5-year EPS CAGR)
Operating Margin Trend
✗TempletonNon-negative operating-margin trend over 3 years
Revenue growth vs. gross and operating margin trend
✗SleepRevenue rising; gross margin flat or falling; operating margin holding
Net income / market capitalization+41.46%; #158/6340 (top 2.5%)
✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section✓OshaughnessyTop 10% of eligible cross-section
Gross profit / total assets
✗AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
Net income / positive book equity+35.15%; #361/5226 (top 6.9%)
✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
Negative 5-year standard deviation of ROA-0.0046; #456/5884 (top 7.7%)
✓AsnessTop 30% of eligible cross-section
3-5 Year Diluted EPS CAGR17.9% over 5 years
✓Neff7%-20% annualized
Positive Diluted-EPS Years8/10 years positive
✓Schloss>= 70% positive over 5-10 observed years (app rule)
Growth50% pass✓ 6✗ 6▾
4 of 8 pass — Graham, Dreman, Ackman +1 more object
EPS Growth (3-yr avg, 10-yr window)
✗Graham>= 33% growth
Basic earnings-growth PEG (dividends excluded)0.40
✓Lynch< 1.0 (ideally < 0.5)
3-5 Year EPS CAGR17.9%
✓Lynch15-30% (Fast Grower); > 0% to pass
EPS Growth Direction
✗DremanPositive over recent years
EPS CAGR
✗Dreman> 5% annualized
Positive Net Income Frequency26/28 years positive
✓MarksPositive net income in >= 7 of last 10 years
3yr Median Revenue Growth-1.2%
✗Ackman>= 5%
Positive EPS Growth Frequency3/5 years with positive EPS growth
✓AckmanPositive EPS growth in >= 3 of last 5 years
5-Year EPS CAGR17.9% CAGR over 5 years
✓Templeton> 0% (5-year EPS CAGR)
Revenue growth vs. gross and operating margin trend
✗SleepRevenue rising; gross margin flat or falling; operating margin holding
5-year Revenue CAGR0.9%
✗SleepCAGR > 7%
3-5 Year Diluted EPS CAGR17.9% over 5 years
✓Neff7%-20% annualized

Business & financials

Financial snapshot: annual FY 2025. Current investor scores may use newer quarterly data.

Company Profile

Industry: Insurance

SIC Sector: Insurance Carriers

Size: Mid Cap($8.0B)

Revenue: $18.2B-1.2% YoY

Net Income: $1.2B-64.1% YoY

Financial Snapshot

Operating Margin--

Return on Equity10.8%

Debt / Equity0.57

Current Ratio--

EPS (Diluted)$5.83−68.3% 1y

Shares Retired−11.6% / −12.0% 2y

Similar Companies

UNHUNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC

$365.1B

PGRPROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/

$136.6B

MRSHMARSH & MCLENNAN COMPANIES, INC.

$98.8B

CILJFCHINA LIFE INSURANCE CO LTD

$85.1B

Sector-adjusted criteria: Insurer

Insurers file unclassified balance sheets with no inventory or current accounts, so those criteria are omitted rather than failed for missing data. Return-on-invested-capital tests are omitted too: float funds the balance sheet but never appears in invested capital, and the portfolio it is invested in would be subtracted as spare cash. Debt tests are kept — an insurer’s borrowings are real leverage on top of underwriting.

Shareholder Return

Fiscal 2025

Issued 11.6% of shares last year, 12.0% issued over two.

Buybacks: —
Dividends: $325.0M

What drove EPS

A buyback raises earnings per share without the company earning more. This splits each year's change into the two.

FY25

−68.3% = −64.1% + −11.9%

Earnings Fewer shares More shares

The two parts do not sum exactly to the total — the difference is the cross-term, plus preferred capital where the company has any. It is left visible rather than distributed into the other two.

Share count is the denominator the filer used for diluted EPS, recovered as net income ÷ EPS — not the balance-sheet count, which is a point-in-time figure and would put the timing difference into this split. Years with a loss are omitted: a smaller share count makes a loss per share larger, so the decomposition inverts.

Company Financials

Latest TTM and quarters alongside annual years

TTM sums four consecutive quarters and uses the latest quarter-end balances. Quarter columns show three-month results; annual columns show full-year totals. Growth compares the same period a year earlier. EPS is not added for TTM; full-year ratios are blank for quarters.

The latest annual period end is unavailable. Showing the latest fiscal cycle’s quarters; quarter and annual columns may overlap. Quarterly shows the full quarter history.

Metric	TTM · 2026-09-30 2025-10-01 – 2026-09-30 Sources · derived quarter values 10-K · 2026-02-19 10-Q · 2026-05-07 10-Q · 2026-07-30 10-Q · 2026-11-05 Derived from cumulative filings: revenue, net income, pre tax income, operating cash flow, dividends paid.	Q3 FY 2026 2026-07-01 – 2026-09-30 Sources · derived quarter values 10-Q · 2026-11-05 Derived from cumulative filings: operating cash flow, dividends paid.	Q2 FY 2026 2026-04-01 – 2026-06-30 Sources · derived quarter values 10-Q · 2026-07-30 Derived from cumulative filings: operating cash flow, dividends paid.	Q1 FY 2026 2026-01-01 – 2026-03-31 Sources 10-Q · 2026-05-07	FY 2025 Sources 10-K · 2026-02-19	FY 2024 Sources 10-K · 2025-02-21	FY 2023 Sources 10-K · 2024-02-22	FY 2022 Sources 10-K/A · 2023-03-30	FY 2021 Sources 10-K/A · 2023-03-30
Market Cap	$8.0Bcurrent	--	--	--	$7.9Best.	$6.0Best.	$4.1Best.	$4.9Best.	$9.4Best.
Revenue	$20.3B↑10%	$5.5B↑20%	$4.5B↑12%	$5.3B↑13%	$18.2B↓1%	$18.4B↑58%	$11.6B↓38%	$18.8B↑6%	$17.7B
Operating Income	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Net Income	$3.3B↑57%	$1.4B↑214%	$1.3B↑91%	-$172.0M↑76%	$1.2B↓64%	$3.3B↑536%	-$752.0M↓155%	$1.4B↓64%	$3.8B
EPS (Diluted)	--	$6.77↑219%	$6.72↑77%	$-1.10↑75%	$5.83↓68%	$18.41↑474%	$-4.92↑62%	$-13.10↓276%	$7.43
Gross Margin	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Operating Margin	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
ROE	35.2%↑74%	—	—	—	10.8%↓73%	39.6%↑463%	-10.9%↓141%	26.6%↑40%	19.0%
Total Debt	$6.4B↑12%	$6.4B↑12%	$6.5B↑12%	$6.0B↑2%	$6.3B↑3%	$6.1B↑4%	$5.8B↓8%	$6.3B	$6.3B
Shareholders' Equity	$9.4B↓10%	$9.4B↓10%	$11.3B↑19%	$10.2B↑25%	$10.9B↑32%	$8.3B↑20%	$6.9B↑35%	$5.1B↓74%	$19.9B
Current Ratio	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Debt / Equity	0.68↑24%	0.68↑24%	0.57↓6%	0.58↓18%	0.57↓22%	0.74↓13%	0.85↓32%	1.24↑290%	0.32
Operating Cash Flow	$688.0M↑487%	$875.0M↑177%	-$558.0M↓155%	$138.0M↑151%	-$167.0M↑92%	-$2.0B↑3%	-$2.1B↓157%	$3.6B↑1763%	-$217.0M
Free Cash Flow	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Score history

Historical Score Timeline

Industry peers

Industry Peers

Similar companies in Insurance

LNC vs Peers — Financial Grading

Revenue$18.2BBottom 25%

Net Income$1.2BBottom 25%

ROE10.8%Bottom 25%

D/E0.57Median

Op. Margin—

Curr. Ratio—

Company	Market Cap	Price	Revenue	Net Income	ROE	D/E	Op. Margin	Curr. Ratio	Graham	Buffett	Lynch	Piotroski	Dreman
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INCUNH	$365.1B	$407.46	$447.6B	$12.1B	12.0%	0.78	4.2%	0.79	3/7	4/7	2/6	F-Score 6	3/10
PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/PGR	$136.6B	$235.78	$87.7B	$11.3B	37.3%	0.23	—	—	2/7	2/7	4/6	F-Score 6	8/10
MARSH & MCLENNAN COMPANIES, INC.MRSH	$98.8B	$207.78	$27.0B	$4.2B	27.2%	1.28	23.1%	1.10	3/7	3/7	2/6	F-Score 6	5/10
CHINA LIFE INSURANCE CO LTDCILJF	$85.1B	$3.01	—	—	—	—	—	—	5/7	1/7	3/6	F-Score 5	5/10
Aon plcAON	$71.8B	$338.31	$17.2B	$3.7B	39.5%	1.63	25.3%	1.11	2/7	4/7	3/6	F-Score 6	3/10
HUMANA INCHUM	$54.0B	$450.00	$129.7B	$1.2B	6.7%	0.70	2.1%	2.00	3/7	2/7	1/6	F-Score 4	4/10
SUN LIFE FINANCIAL INCSLF	$40.5B	$72.93	$30.6B	$2.6B	14.5%	0.33	—	—	3/7	3/7	2/6	F-Score 6	6/10
HARTFORD INSURANCE GROUP, INC.HIG	$36.8B	$137.48	$28.4B	$3.8B	20.2%	0.23	—	—	3/7	3/7	4/6	F-Score 7	8/10