Bard Financial Services Inc. Trims Position in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Bard Financial Services Inc. lessened its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,268,805 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 157,500 shares during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group comprises 1.1% of Bard Financial Services Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Bard Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $8,667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LYG. Crux Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.15% of the company's stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 1.1%

LYG traded down $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $4.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 17,739,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,198,538. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a one year low of $2.56 and a one year high of $4.30. The firm has a market cap of $62.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 1.01. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $3.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.43.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.03. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 11.45% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.78 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. HSBC upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group presently has an average rating of "Hold".

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.