Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Lloyds Banking Group has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from six analysts, with three recommending hold and three recommending buy.
• Analysts have set an average 12-month price target of GBX 90 for the stock, with recent upgrades from JPMorgan and Jefferies raising targets to GBX 98 and GBX 103, respectively.
• As of the last trading session, Lloyds Banking Group's stock was down 0.7%, trading at GBX 82.90, with a market capitalization of £49.04 billion.

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 90.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LLOY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 85 to GBX 98 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 92 to GBX 103 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to an "outperform" rating and set a GBX 95 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a GBX 93 price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Friday. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a "hold" rating and set a GBX 74 price objective on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday, July 24th.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 0.7%

Lloyds Banking Group stock traded down GBX 0.60 on Friday, hitting GBX 82.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 72,383,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,558,875. The firm has a market cap of £49.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,256.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 82.32 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 77.08. Lloyds Banking Group has a one year low of GBX 52.44 and a one year high of GBX 86.64.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported GBX 3.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 16.66%. Analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group will post 7.3199528 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lloyds Banking Group

In related news, insider William Chalmers acquired 138,723 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 84 per share, for a total transaction of £116,527.32. Also, insider Chris Vogelzang acquired 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 84 per share, with a total value of £42,000. Insiders acquired a total of 436,717 shares of company stock valued at $36,562,228 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.