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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company.

LYG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LYG opened at $5.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.04 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.86. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52 week low of $3.27 and a 52 week high of $6.34.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.06% and a net margin of 24.30%. Analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.134 dividend. This represents a yield of 447.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 30.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 2,671.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 5,959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 5,744 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 6,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,203 shares during the period. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Lloyds Banking Group

Lloyds Banking Group plc is a UK-based banking and financial services company that provides a broad range of retail, commercial and insurance products. Its principal consumer-facing brands include Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, through which it offers current accounts, savings, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans. The group also delivers services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporate clients, supplying business accounts, lending, payments and cash-management solutions.

In addition to core banking, Lloyds operates a significant wealth and insurance arm under the Scottish Widows brand, offering life insurance, pensions, investment and retirement planning products.