Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Shares Sold by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 288,773 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,747 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Simon Quick Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Adero Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 2.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Morgan Stanley lowered Lloyds Banking Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.75.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 6.2 %

Shares of NYSE LYG opened at $3.34 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $2.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.93. The company has a market cap of $50.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.55 and a beta of 1.31. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 12-month low of $2.13 and a 12-month high of $3.38.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.03). Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 10.89% and a return on equity of 9.81%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group 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.