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

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $79.75.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LYG shares. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. They set a “hold” rating and a $2.75 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Down 1.7 %

Lloyds Banking Group stock opened at $2.57 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.28. The company has a market cap of $40.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.32. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52-week low of $1.88 and a 52-week high of $2.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 13.41%. The firm had revenue of $19.05 billion for the quarter. Analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a yield of 5.9%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 149.9% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 29,696,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,975,000 after acquiring an additional 17,814,615 shares in the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 29,131,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,050,000 after acquiring an additional 2,336,000 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 22,166,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,978,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180,775 shares in the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 96.9% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 21,147,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,966,000 after acquiring an additional 10,406,673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,625,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,528,000 after acquiring an additional 439,009 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.