American Century Companies Inc. Buys 1,306,099 Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC $LYG

Key Points

• American Century Companies boosted its Lloyds stake by 19.2% in Q3, buying 1,306,099 shares to hold 8,112,276 shares worth $36.83 million (about 0.05% of the company).
• Lloyds declared a dividend of $0.134 per share payable May 29, with record and ex-dividend dates on April 10, and a dividend payout ratio of 30.95%.
• The analyst consensus is a Moderate Buy (seven Buys vs. four Holds); recent notable moves include BNP Paribas Exane downgrading to Hold and Weiss Ratings upgrading to Buy.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,112,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,306,099 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.05% of Lloyds Banking Group worth $36,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 10.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,126,734 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,305,000 after buying an additional 108,100 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 124.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 263,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,006,000 after buying an additional 145,772 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 18.4% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 812,424 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,103,000 after buying an additional 126,247 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 162.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,724 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 7,253 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the first quarter worth about $639,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LYG has been the topic of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Lloyds Banking Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, December 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 1.0%

LYG opened at $5.20 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group PLC has a fifty-two week low of $3.27 and a fifty-two week high of $6.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.86. The company's 50-day moving average is $5.62 and its 200 day moving average is $5.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The firm had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.134 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 447.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Lloyds Banking Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.95%.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.

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