Short Interest in Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Decreases By 35.2%

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 16,237,483 shares, a decrease of 35.2% from the February 12th total of 25,077,095 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 22,552,258 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 22,552,258 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LYG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Monday, December 1st. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 151,258,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $801,673,000 after buying an additional 1,300,718 shares during the period. L1 Capital Pty Ltd bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $548,574,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $285,004,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 14,802,992 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,456,000 after purchasing an additional 673,473 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 14,279,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $64,828,000 after purchasing an additional 541,501 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Down 2.2%

LYG traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $5.03. 22,466,839 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,498,838. The company has a market cap of $74.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. Lloyds Banking Group has a one year low of $3.27 and a one year high of $6.34. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.05.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 10.06%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Dividend Announcement

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

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.