Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Monday, December 1st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LYG. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2,671.6% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 5,959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 5,744 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 6,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,261 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,203 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of LYG stock opened at $5.61 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12-month low of $2.97 and a 12-month high of $5.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $5.19 and a 200-day moving average of $4.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.89.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.07). Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 18.04%.The business had revenue of $6.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

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.