On Apr 6, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Lincoln National Corporation LNC.Lincoln National is well poised for long-term growth given its focus on reducing exposure to business with long-term guarantees. The company is changing its business mix to tilt more toward Life products without long-term guarantees, in turn guarding against huge claims.Lincoln National has been also focusing on diversifying its mix of annuity sales, moving away from variable annuities with living benefits, and lowering its risk profile. The company also remains immune to the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule regarding the sales of variable annuity products.Lincoln National is also bent on protecting and building its capital base. The company adopts strong asset and liability management practices from time to time, including equity and interest rate hedging programs, which partially mitigate the risk exposure. Moreover, the company also engages in shareholder-friendly moves.However, weakness in the Group Protection segment, intense competition and a low interest rate environment, which has weakened net flows, annuities and investment yields are some of the headwinds faced by Lincoln National.Moreover, the company’s earnings per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last reported quarter. The company posted negative surprises in each of the last four quarters, with an average miss of 10.6%. Lincoln National is slated to report its first-quarter results on May 4. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is currently pegged at $1.47 per share, translating into a year-over-year increase of 10.2%. Additionally, our proven model states that the company is poised for an earnings beat because it has the right combination of a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and an Earnings ESP of 0.67%.Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks from the insurance industry are Markel Corp MKL, Primerica, Inc. PRI and Hallmark Financial Corporation HALL. While Markel and Hallmark sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Primerica carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PRIMERICA INC (PRI): Free Stock Analysis Report LINCOLN NATL-IN (LNC): Free Stock Analysis Report MARKEL CORP (MKL): Free Stock Analysis Report HALLMARK FINL (HALL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research