Insurance - Life · NYSE
Current Price
$41.26
PE Ratio (TTM)
3.4x
Intrinsic Value
Outside reliable range
COMPETITIVE MOAT
↑Brand Recognition and Trust
Lincoln National has established a recognized brand in the life insurance sector, fostering trust with policyholders over many years. This brand equity can translate into customer loyalty and a preference for their products.
↑Scale and Investment Management
As a large insurer, LNC benefits from economies of scale in operations and a significant asset base. This allows for sophisticated investment management, generating substantial investment income that supports profitability.
↑Distribution Network and Partnerships
The company leverages a broad network of agents, brokers, and financial advisors to reach customers. Strong relationships within this distribution ecosystem create barriers to entry for new competitors.
INVESTMENT RISKS
↓Competition and Product Innovation
The life insurance market is highly competitive, with numerous players vying for market share. Failure to innovate and offer compelling new products could lead to market share erosion.
↓Mortality and Longevity Risk
Unexpected increases in mortality rates due to pandemics or other events, or significant increases in longevity beyond actuarial assumptions, can negatively impact profitability and solvency.
↓Economic Downturns and Market Volatility
Recessions can lead to reduced demand for insurance products and impact the value of LNC's investment portfolio. Significant market downturns can strain financial resources.
Base case
Base case assumptions: 3.9% annual earnings growth, 3.35x target PE, 10% discount rate, 5 year projection. Data as of 2026-10-07.
This base case uses default assumptions and is not financial advice. The fair value changes significantly when the target PE or earnings growth rate changes. Open the calculator to set your own assumptions and see the full sensitivity range.
Adjust the target PE, earnings growth, and discount rate to see how the fair value and margin of safety for Lincoln National Corporation respond.
Open PE Calculator for LNCLincoln National Corporation (LNC) is a U.S.-based financial services company primarily involved in the insurance and retirement sectors. Operating through various subsidiaries, its operations are structured across four key divisions: Annuities, Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, and Group Protection. The Annuities division provides a range of annuity products, including fixed, variable, and indexed variable options. Its Retirement Plan Services segment caters to employers, focusing predominantly on the defined contribution market. This unit delivers a suite of retirement solutions, encompassing individual and group variable and fixed annuities, alongside mutual fund-based programs. Furthermore, it offers comprehensive plan administration services such as recordkeeping, compliance verification, participant education, and trust and custodial support. The Life Insurance segment delivers various life coverage options, from term insurance to universal life products, specifically single and survivorship universal life, variable universal life, and indexed universal life policies. It also makes available critical illness and long-term care riders to enhance these plans. Finally, the Group Protection segment focuses on providing non-medical group insurance benefits and services to the employer sector. Its offerings include short-term and long-term disability, statutory disability, paid family medical leave administration, and absence management. Additionally, it offers group term life, dental, vision, accident, and critical illness coverage, all available through both employee-contributed and employer-funded schemes. Lincoln National distributes its financial products and services through an extensive network of consultants, brokers, planners, agents, financial advisors, third-party administrators, and other intermediary partners. Established in 1905, Lincoln National Corporation maintains its headquarters in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
PE Ratio (TTM)
3.4x
PEG Ratio
0.03
Earnings Yield
29.83%
ROE (TTM)
22.0%
Revenue/Share (TTM)
$100.39
Dividend Yield
4.39%
Debt/Equity
0.60x
The trailing twelve-month PE ratio of LNC reflects how much investors pay per dollar of Lincoln National Corporation's earnings. This metric is most useful when compared to Insurance - Life peers and the company's own historical range.
LNC's PE of 3.4x combined with a PEG ratio of 0.03 provides a growth-adjusted perspective. A PEG below 1.0 means the P/E is low relative to the earnings growth rate. Keep in mind that PE-based valuation works best for profitable, mature companies — for high-growth or cyclical Insurance - Life, a DCF analysis may be more appropriate.
To value Lincoln National Corporation using PE: (1) Compare the current PE (3.4x) against the Insurance - Life median to assess relative pricing, (2) check the PEG ratio (0.03) to adjust for growth expectations, (3) review the 5-year PE range to identify where the stock sits historically, and (4) estimate fair value by multiplying a target PE by forward EPS estimates. This relative approach complements DCF's absolute valuation.
LNC's PEG ratio is 0.03, calculated by dividing the PE ratio (3.4x) by the expected earnings growth rate. A PEG below 1.0 means the P/E is low relative to the expected earnings growth rate. Note that PEG accuracy depends on the reliability of growth estimates.
PE ratio gives a quick relative read — how LNC is priced versus Insurance - Life peers. DCF provides an absolute value based on projected free cash flows. For LNC, with a strong ROE of 22.0%, both methods are worth using — PE for a market-relative check, DCF to stress-test whether fundamentals justify the price. Each method has blind spots: PE ignores capital structure and cash flow quality, while DCF is sensitive to growth and discount rate assumptions.
P/E and DCF value LNC with different methods and assumptions, so the two conclusions can differ. Compare the DCF intrinsic value.
Price as of 2026-10-07. Financial data from Financial Modeling Prep (trailing twelve months) · Valuation methodology by Charlie Wang.
This is an estimate, not investment advice.