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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

NYSE LYG opened at $5.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $5.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.26. Lloyds Banking Group has a 1 year low of $3.81 and a 1 year high of $6.34.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 25.11% and a return on equity of 10.63%. As a group, research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Lloyds Banking Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $285,004,000. WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $128,228,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the third quarter valued at $63,928,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2,413.7% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 3,113,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,661,000 after acquiring an additional 2,989,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 53.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 6,614,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,317,927 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.