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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company.

Several research firms recently commented on LYG. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Friday. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

LYG opened at $6.15 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $5.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12-month low of $4.20 and a 12-month high of $6.34.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.01). Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.97% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $6.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.86 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.084 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 273.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.14%.

Institutional Trading of Lloyds Banking Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LYG. Stonehaven Wealth & Tax Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $166,000. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 11.7% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 18,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,891 shares during the period. Paladin Wealth LLC increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 16.3% in the second quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC now owns 23,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 3,370 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 14.8% in the second quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 445,833 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,599,000 after purchasing an additional 57,457 shares during the period. Finally, Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $71,000. 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.