Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company.

LYG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Lloyds Banking Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:LYG opened at $5.55 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group has a fifty-two week low of $2.97 and a fifty-two week high of $5.57. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.72. The stock has a market cap of $81.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.89.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.07). Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 18.04%.The company had revenue of $6.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 5,744 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 6,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,261 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.