Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 107.78.

Several research firms have issued reports on LLOY. Citigroup upped their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 98 to GBX 106 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Shore Capital Group restated a “sell” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 102 to GBX 117 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Lloyds Banking Group to GBX 125 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 100 to GBX 120 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th.

Key Headlines Impacting Lloyds Banking Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Lloyds Banking Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lloyds continued its on‑market share buyback programme, repurchasing and cancelling 9.5 million shares, reducing share count and supporting EPS. Lloyds Banking Group Buys Back and Cancels 9.5 Million Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Another recent cancellation: 8.52 million ordinary shares repurchased on 1 April — further buybacks that can support EPS and signal management confidence. Lloyds Banking Group Buys Back and Cancels 8.5 Million Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Technical: LLOY recently crossed above its 200‑day moving average, a common bullish signal that can attract momentum buyers and funds following trend rules. Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average
• Neutral Sentiment: Lloyds and the University of Glasgow launched a four‑year study into agentic AI for engineering — positive for innovation and long‑term tech capability but not an immediate earnings driver. AI Study Launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Local planning news: demolition plans for a former Lloyds branch/office are unlikely to materially affect group finances or operations. Demolition Plans
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: UK banks are passing on mortgage rate increases after recent Bank of England commentary — mixed implications for margins and new lending activity. Mortgage Rate Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory redress: Lloyds is sticking to a £2bn provision for motor finance compensation despite FCA scheme changes — this keeps a significant potential charge on the P&L and limits upside to capital returns. Provision for Motor Finance Compensation
• Negative Sentiment: IT incident: a systems glitch led to a data leak affecting nearly 500,000 customers — raises operational and reputational risk and could draw regulatory scrutiny or remediation costs. IT Glitch / Data Leak
• Negative Sentiment: Broker view: Shore Capital reaffirmed a “sell” rating on LLOY, which could cap sentiment among retail and some institutional investors. Broker Reaffirms Sell

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

Shares of LLOY opened at GBX 97.94 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is GBX 100.35 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 94.60. The stock has a market capitalization of £57.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.93. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12-month low of GBX 60.78 and a 12-month high of GBX 114.60.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported GBX 7 EPS for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 9.93%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group will post 7.3199528 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Lloyds Banking Group

We are the largest UK retail and commercial financial services provider with over 25 million customers and a presence in nearly every community.

The Group’s main business activities are retail and commercial banking, general insurance and long-term savings, provided through the largest branch network and digital bank in the UK, with well recognised brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows.

Our shares are quoted on the London and New York stock exchanges and we are one of the largest companies in the FTSE 100 index.