Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 52.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,614 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 174,036 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crux Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LYG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res raised Lloyds Banking Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. HSBC raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

Shares of LYG stock opened at $4.26 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.97. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 12 month low of $2.56 and a 12 month high of $4.28.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.78 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 11.45%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.1035 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.14%.

Lloyds Banking Group 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.