HIG vs LNC Stock Comparison

Compare HIG and LNC across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.

Market data as of Sep 11, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 8 points
HIG
Financial Services
vs
LNC
Financial Services
HIG
The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.
Price
$136
Day move
-0.32%
AIQ Score
63/100
Best edge
Balanced
Sector
Financial Services
LNC
Lincoln National Corporation
Leads
Price
$43.84
Day move
+0.64%
AIQ Score
71/100
Best edge
Momentum
Sector
Financial Services

What is the main difference between HIG and LNC?

LNC leads the current stock comparison as Lincoln National Corporation, with the clearest separation coming from momentum and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. vs Lincoln National Corporation

Data as of Sep 11, 2026· market close· Financial Services· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 4/10

LNC leads

LNC leads by 8 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Value, and the lead has widened from 1 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors HIG on target upside.

Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support LNC, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 6Comparison trend: Strengthening
HIG

The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

AIQ Score
63/100
AIQ Edge Score
9/10
LNC

Lincoln National Corporation

Leads
AIQ Score
71/100
AIQ Edge Score
10/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors LNC over HIG, 71 versus 63 as of Sep 11, 2026. LNC's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and value. LNC also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors HIG. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor LNC today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. LNC lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 8 points over 30 sessions.

Compare The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Lincoln National Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Price-return comparison using available daily close history.

HIG
+94.5%
LNC
-34.5%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000

HIG $19,454 · LNC $6,548

Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.

Compare HIG and LNC against another ticker

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

HIG advantage
0
LNC advantage
  • Momentum47 vs 70
    LNC +23
  • Value65 vs 73
    LNC +8
  • Risk Resilience74 vs 72
    Even
  • Quality69 vs 69
    Even

3 of 6 evidence groups favor LNC. LNC’s edge is concentrated in momentum and value.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.

HIG0 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +1

No new signals fired.

LNC+2 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +8

No new signals fired.

LNC's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — HIG and LNC both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

LNC (Lincoln National Corporation): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and value.

HIG (The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.): the counter-case, on fundamentals, analyst expectations.

The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

LNC

LNC on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

HIG

HIG on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

LNC

LNC on the peer-relative Value factor, by 8 points.

Momentum

LNC

LNC on the Momentum factor, by 23 points.

Lower downside

HIG

HIG carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.

Analyst upside

HIG

HIG on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors LNC, analyst targets favor HIG. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.

MeasureHIGLNCNote
Implied upside to target+11%+4.2%HIG has more room
Target dispersion+5.3%+43.8%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusHoldHoldContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering33Higher coverage generally improves confidence

The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor LNC. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreLNC63 vs 71
FundamentalsHIGon balanceEPS growth 51.3% vs 8.6%; TTM ROE 23% vs 22%; gross margin 43.9% vs 57.5%; operating margin 15.2% vs 14.6% — HIG takes 3 of 4 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationLNCValue 65 vs 73
TechnicalsLNCPrice vs 50-day -2.1% vs 2.4%; vs 200-day 0.4% vs 10.3%
Risk ResilienceEvenRisk Resilience 74 vs 72
Analyst expectationsHIGTarget upside 11% vs 4.2%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of HIG and LNC and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 8 points.
  • Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on LNC.

How the comparison changed

119 daily snapshots · May 4 Sep 10

LNC lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 8 points over 30 sessions.

May 4HIG leads above the line · LNC leads belowSep 10
Today
LNC +8
63 vs 71
7 sessions ago
LNC +6
64 vs 70
30 sessions ago
LNC +1
63 vs 64
90 sessions ago
HIG +1
72 vs 71

The lead changed hands 3 times in this window, most recently on Aug 24 when HIG moved ahead of LNC.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

HIGConflicted

1 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (2.20%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • MACD Bearish Crossover bearish, momentum, short horizon
LNCConflicted

3 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (8.48%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish bullish, trend, medium horizon

LNC leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

HIGNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.32%, AIQ 0 points).

LNCConfirmed strength

Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.64%, AIQ +2 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1HIG closes the Momentum gap — currently 23 points behind, the largest single contributor to LNC's edge.
  2. 2HIG's MACD Bearish Crossover resolves — a bearish momentum rule currently active against it.
  3. 3LNC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

HIG leads on balance
MetricHIGLNC
Revenue growth (YoY)0.5%-14.4%
EPS growth (YoY)51.3%8.6%
Gross margin43.9%57.5%
Operating margin15.2%14.6%
Return on equity (TTM)23%22%
Debt to equity0.220.6

Performance

HIG leads 4 of 6 windows
MetricHIGLNC
1 week (5 sessions)-0.3%-1.3%
1 month (20 sessions)-0.5%-1.2%
3 months (63 sessions)5.8%20.3%
6 months (126 sessions)1.4%31.3%
Year to date-0.7%-2.2%
1 year (252 sessions)4.7%4.5%

Technicals

LNC has the stronger structure
MetricHIGLNC
RSI (14)49.259.8
ADX (14)1319.2
Price vs 50-day-2.1%2.4%
Price vs 200-day0.4%10.3%
Volatility (1M, annualized)18.1%34%

Risk

Split
MetricHIGLNC
Beta-0.091.1
Sharpe ratio0.130.2
Sortino ratio0.20.26
Max drawdown-12.3%-29.9%
Current drawdown-6.1%-7.3%
Annualized volatility19.4%34.6%
Value at risk (95%)-1.9%-3.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, HIG or LNC?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, LNC is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 71 against HIG's 63. The edge comes from momentum and value. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is HIG or LNC the better buy right now?

LNC carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor LNC over HIG?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. LNC leads Momentum by 23 points; LNC leads Value by 8 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, HIG or LNC?

Analyst price targets imply +11% upside for HIG and +4.2% for LNC, so the Street currently favors HIG. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors LNC. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, HIG or LNC?

LNC is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. LNC on the peer-relative Value factor, by 8 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, HIG or LNC?

HIG on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, HIG or LNC?

LNC on the Momentum factor, by 23 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, HIG or LNC?

HIG is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. HIG carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is HIG more profitable than LNC?

The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 43.9% vs 57.5%; operating margin 15.2% vs 14.6%; ttm roe 23% vs 22%. HIG leads on two measures and LNC on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.

Is LNC's lead over HIG getting stronger or weaker?

LNC lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 8 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has changed hands 3 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-24, when HIG moved ahead of LNC.

What would change the HIG vs LNC verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: HIG closes the Momentum gap — currently 23 points behind, the largest single contributor to LNC's edge; HIG's MACD Bearish Crossover resolves — a bearish momentum rule currently active against it; LNC's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about HIG and LNC?

HIG: 1 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. LNC: 3 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on HIG is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On LNC it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare HIG and LNC with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.