Virtu Financial LLC Has $57,000 Position in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Virtu Financial LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 88.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 163,898 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $57,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 122,641 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 3,346 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 75,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 3,420 shares during the last quarter. Brio Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Brio Consultants LLC now owns 16,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. increased its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 20,552 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 4,022 shares during the period. Finally, Fielder Capital Group LLC raised its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 60,993 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 4,366 shares during the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of LYG opened at $3.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $58.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 1.25. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 52-week low of $2.42 and a 52-week high of $3.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.07.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. 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 return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 11.45%. The company had revenue of $9.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.76 billion. Research analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.1035 per share. This is an increase from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. This represents a yield of 4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 60.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on LYG. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.75.

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.