Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Tuesday, June 30th.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 3.0%

LYG stock opened at $6.05 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52 week low of $4.05 and a 52 week high of $6.34. The company has a market capitalization of $88.20 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.87. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.56.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 25.11% and a return on equity of 10.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LYG. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 11.7% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 18,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,891 shares during the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC now owns 23,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 3,370 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 445,833 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,599,000 after buying an additional 57,457 shares during the period. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 18.6% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 54,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 8,552 shares during the period. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.