Brighton Jones LLC Makes New $29,000 Investment in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $29,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LYG. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 8.7% in the third quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 29,131,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,050,000 after buying an additional 2,336,000 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,470,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,807,000. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 5,281,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,250,000 after purchasing an additional 735,219 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,363,000. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. They set a “hold” rating and a $2.75 price target for the company. Bank of America upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.55.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Lloyds Banking Group stock opened at $2.60 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a twelve month low of $1.88 and a twelve month high of $2.72. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $2.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.29.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $14.35 billion for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 13.41%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $0.046 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a yield of 5.9%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.