Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $4.30 and last traded at $4.30, with a volume of 10299276 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on LYG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. HSBC upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $4.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.72. The company has a market cap of $64.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.99.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.78 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 14.39%. Research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 10,836.3% in the 2nd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 9,952 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 9,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Earned Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lloyds Banking Group Company 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.