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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LYG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Down 1.2 %

Lloyds Banking Group stock opened at $3.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $3.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.06. Lloyds Banking Group has a 1-year low of $2.42 and a 1-year high of $3.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 1.25.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.76 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 11.45%. Research analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a $0.1035 dividend. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. This represents a yield of 4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. Lloyds Banking Group’s payout ratio is 60.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crux Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

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.