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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $2.75.

LYG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lazari Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,908 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 6,517 shares during the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Five Oceans Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 64,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 8,891 shares during the last quarter. Brio Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Brio Consultants LLC now owns 16,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 3,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 41,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 4,903 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 0.8 %

LYG opened at $3.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $2.74 and its 200-day moving average is $2.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 1.31. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52-week low of $2.00 and a 52-week high of $3.24.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The firm had revenue of $10.41 billion during the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.