Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $99.00.

Separately, Bank of America upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

LYG stock opened at $2.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $40.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.36, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12-month low of $1.88 and a 12-month high of $2.72. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $2.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.27.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 17.97% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The business had revenue of $19.05 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be issued a $0.046 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LYG. TCG Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. D Orazio & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 234.3% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 11,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 7,783 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance, Pensions and Investments. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, and credit cards to personal customers.