Lloyds Banking Group PLC $LYG Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 6.0%, acquiring an additional 399,866 shares, bringing its total holdings to 7,011,774 shares valued at approximately $26.8 million.
• Lloyds Banking Group's stock has shown a 1-year range of $2.56 to $4.62, and reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.14, exceeding expectations significantly.
• The company recently declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.0655, with a payout ratio of 32.5% and a projected annual earnings per share of 0.27 for the current fiscal year.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 6.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,011,774 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 399,866 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $26,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,404,259 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,620,000 after purchasing an additional 453,326 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 34.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 15,604,325 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,444,000 after purchasing an additional 4,021,039 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,492,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,083,000 after purchasing an additional 863,347 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 225.0% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,098,940 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $19,309,000 after purchasing an additional 4,914,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,831,997 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,458,000 after purchasing an additional 18,767 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

NYSE LYG traded down $0.02 on Thursday, hitting $4.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,347,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,461,037. The company has a market capitalization of $66.97 billion, a PE ratio of 11.19, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.05. The company's fifty day moving average price is $4.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Lloyds Banking Group PLC has a 12-month low of $2.56 and a 12-month high of $4.62.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 9.28%. As a group, analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.0655 per share. This represents a yield of 370.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 4th. Lloyds Banking Group's payout ratio is 32.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on LYG. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.