Virtu Financial LLC Invests $327,000 in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 136,993 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $327,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 149.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 29,696,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,975,000 after purchasing an additional 17,814,615 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 96.9% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 21,147,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,966,000 after purchasing an additional 10,406,673 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,625,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,528,000 after purchasing an additional 439,009 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 7,122,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,021,000 after purchasing an additional 1,840,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 6,537,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,155,000 after purchasing an additional 52,395 shares during the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 2.0 %

LYG stock opened at $2.82 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a one year low of $1.88 and a one year high of $2.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.25 billion, a PE ratio of 7.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $2.69 and a 200-day moving average of $2.46.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The company had revenue of $14.35 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, April 25th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $2.75 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, May 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.55.

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.