Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2.75.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LYG. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Citigroup downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th.

Institutional Trading of Lloyds Banking Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Intergy Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 234.3% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 11,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 7,783 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 259.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 8,027 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

NYSE LYG opened at $3.11 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12-month low of $1.88 and a 12-month high of $3.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.18 and a beta of 1.35.

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

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.0546 per share. This represents a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 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.