SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Takes $34,000 Position in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 12,585 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $34,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LYG. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Adero Partners LLC bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LYG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised Lloyds Banking Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.75.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LYG opened at $3.54 on Wednesday. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a one year low of $2.42 and a one year high of $3.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.15 and a 200-day moving average of $2.99. The company has a market capitalization of $53.69 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 1.25.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.03). Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 11.45% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The company had revenue of $9.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.76 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.1035 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 4%. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.61%.

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.