Compared to Estimates, Lincoln National (LNC) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

Lincoln National (LNC) reported $4.78 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 3.9%. EPS of $2.04 for the same period compares to $2.06 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.8 billion, representing a surprise of -0.45%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +10.87%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.84.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Lincoln National performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Loss Ratio - Group Protection: 68.3% compared to the 71.4% average estimate based on three analysts.
• Net Flows - Annuities: $-1.14 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $-1.4 billion.
• Net Flows - Life Insurance: $1.66 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $671.25 million.
• Net Flows - Retirement Plan Services: $755 million compared to the $135.64 million average estimate based on three analysts.
• Revenues- Fee income: $1.38 billion compared to the $1.42 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +2.4% year over year.
• Revenues- Insurance premiums: $1.64 billion compared to the $1.67 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +1.4% year over year.
• Revenues- Net investment income: $1.54 billion versus $1.45 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +9.4% change.
• Revenues- Retirement Plan Services- Fee income: $77 million versus $78.54 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.1% change.
• Revenues- Retirement Plan Services- Net investment income: $257 million compared to the $256.62 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +1.6% year over year.
• Revenues- Retirement Plan Services- Other revenues: $9 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $6.33 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +12.5%.
• Revenues- Life Insurance- Insurance premiums: $260 million versus $274.47 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -9.1% change.
• Revenues- Life Insurance- Fee income: $683 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $720.71 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +1.6%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Lincoln National here>>>

Shares of Lincoln National have returned -0.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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