Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.38.

LYG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, May 9th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE LYG opened at $3.14 on Wednesday. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12-month low of $1.88 and a 12-month high of $3.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The stock has a market cap of $49.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 1.35.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 12.40%. The firm had revenue of $9.55 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.0546 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 5th. This is an increase from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. This represents a yield of 4.4%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 26.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. TCG Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Intergy Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

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.