Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 74.50 ($0.99) and last traded at GBX 74.34 ($0.99), with a volume of 755644000 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 73.40 ($0.98).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on LLOY shares. Shore Capital reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 62 ($0.82) to GBX 71 ($0.94) and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 61 ($0.81) to GBX 71 ($0.94) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 64.25 ($0.85).

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 0.3%

The company has a market capitalization of £45.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. The business's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 70.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 62.91.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported GBX 1.70 ($0.02) EPS for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 16.66% and a return on equity of 11.22%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 7.3199528 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a GBX 2.11 ($0.03) dividend. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group's previous dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a yield of 3.01%. Lloyds Banking Group's payout ratio is 37.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider William Chalmers sold 11,338 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 70 ($0.93), for a total transaction of £7,936.60 ($10,542.77). 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.