Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in Lloyds Banking Group PLC by 5.3% during the first quarter, selling 78,393 shares and now holding 1,395,893 shares valued at $5,332,000.
• Lloyds Banking Group recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.0655, with a dividend yield of 370.0% and a payout ratio of 32.50%.
• Analysts have upgraded their ratings for Lloyds Banking Group, with several firms moving from hold to buy or outperform, reflecting increased confidence in the company's prospects.

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,395,893 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 78,393 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $5,332,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LYG. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 119.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 125,225 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 68,064 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 15,604,325 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,444,000 after purchasing an additional 4,021,039 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 225.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,098,940 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,309,000 after purchasing an additional 4,914,680 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 4.5% during the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 61,411 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 2,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on LYG. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Lloyds Banking Group stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $4.35. 11,628,907 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,683,332. Lloyds Banking Group PLC has a 1 year low of $2.56 and a 1 year high of $4.44. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $4.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

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

Lloyds Banking Group Profile

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.