Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company.

A number of research firms recently commented on LYG. BNP Paribas Exane cut Lloyds Banking Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Monday, December 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 10.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,126,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,305,000 after buying an additional 108,100 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 124.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 263,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 145,772 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 18.4% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 812,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,103,000 after acquiring an additional 126,247 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 162.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 7,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $639,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

LYG stock opened at $5.13 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.07. The stock has a market cap of $75.51 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.86. Lloyds Banking Group has a one year low of $3.27 and a one year high of $6.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The firm had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. On average, analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.134 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 447.0%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.95%.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

Lloyds Banking Group plc is a UK-based banking and financial services company that provides a broad range of retail, commercial and insurance products. Its principal consumer-facing brands include Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, through which it offers current accounts, savings, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans. The group also delivers services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporate clients, supplying business accounts, lending, payments and cash-management solutions.

In addition to core banking, Lloyds operates a significant wealth and insurance arm under the Scottish Widows brand, offering life insurance, pensions, investment and retirement planning products.