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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.38.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Citigroup cut Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. TCG Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. D Orazio & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Choreo LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

Lloyds Banking Group stock opened at $2.96 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $46.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.79 and a beta of 1.35. Lloyds Banking Group has a one year low of $1.88 and a one year high of $3.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $2.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $9.55 billion during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 10.34%. As a group, analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th will be given a dividend of $0.0546 per share. This represents a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 5th. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.32%.

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.