Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average of $45.39

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 45.39 ($0.57) and traded as high as GBX 50.38 ($0.63). Lloyds Banking Group shares last traded at GBX 49.70 ($0.62), with a volume of 143,773,431 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group to a “market perform” rating and set a GBX 50 ($0.62) target price for the company in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 55 ($0.68) to GBX 58 ($0.72) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 41 ($0.51) to GBX 45 ($0.56) and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 59 ($0.73) price objective 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, two have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 55.40 ($0.69).

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 2.9 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is GBX 48.24 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 45.39. The stock has a market cap of £31.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 621.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 11th will be issued a GBX 1.84 ($0.02) dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous dividend of $0.92. This represents a dividend yield of 4.25%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3,750.00%.

Insider Activity at Lloyds Banking Group

In related news, insider Robin Budenberg acquired 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 45 ($0.56) per share, for a total transaction of £450,000 ($560,189.22). In other Lloyds Banking Group news, insider William Chalmers purchased 128,118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 52 ($0.65) per share, for a total transaction of £66,621.36 ($82,934.59). Also, insider Robin Budenberg acquired 1,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 45 ($0.56) per share, with a total value of £450,000 ($560,189.22). 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.