Lincoln National Rises on Q2 Earnings Beat

Shares of Lincoln National LNC are trading higher in the after-hours following the release of the company's Q2 earnings results. Currently, shares are higher by 2.16%, trading at $26.00; they ended the regular session lower by 3.23%, at $25.45. Lincoln National reported Q2 EPS of $1.09 on revenues of $2.8 billion; the Street was looking for $0.94 per share on revenues of $2.76 billion. Revenues increased 7.7% year over year, while book value per share increased 9% year over year, to $40.43 million. "We're pleased with the results in the second quarter, which reflected strong revenue growth and solid operating performance in our businesses," said President and CEO Dennis R. Glass. "Sales across our businesses continued to benefit from broad product offerings and consistent distribution presence while margins in the group protection segment improved over the prior-year period," added Glass. "Solid results in the first half of 2011, a strong capital position and accelerated share repurchases in the quarter underscore our confidence in the outlook for Lincoln Financial." Lincoln National Corporation is a holding company, which operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses through subsidiary companies.