Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Peel Hunt

Peel Hunt assumed coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) in a research report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a GBX 55 ($0.68) price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

LLOY has been the subject of several other reports. Shore Capital reiterated a buy rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a market perform rating and set a GBX 50 ($0.62) price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 55 ($0.68) to GBX 58 ($0.72) and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 41 ($0.51) to GBX 45 ($0.56) and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 59 ($0.73) price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of GBX 55.33 ($0.68).

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of LLOY opened at GBX 51.14 ($0.63) on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 48.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 45.62. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52-week low of GBX 39.42 ($0.49) and a 52-week high of GBX 54.28 ($0.67). The firm has a market capitalization of £32.57 billion, a PE ratio of 639.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 11th will be given a dividend of GBX 1.84 ($0.02) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a yield of 4.25%. This is an increase from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous dividend of $0.92. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 3,750.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider William Chalmers acquired 128,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.64) per share, for a total transaction of £66,621.36 ($82,289.23). In related news, insider William Chalmers acquired 128,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.64) per share, for a total transaction of £66,621.36 ($82,289.23). Also, insider Robin Budenberg acquired 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 45 ($0.56) per share, for a total transaction of £450,000 ($555,830.04). Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.