Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” on Lloyds, based on 11 covering firms (8 buy ratings, 3 hold ratings), with recent upgrades from UBS, Weiss Ratings and Wall Street Zen.
• The stock trades around $5.37 with a market cap of $79.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a 52‑week range of $3.74–$6.34, and it reported $0.13 EPS on $6.87 billion revenue in the most recent quarter.
• Institutional ownership is modest at about 2.15%, and recent hedge‑fund/manager activity consisted of small new or increased positions (roughly $25k–$33k), suggesting limited large‑scale accumulation.

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company.

LYG has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group raised Lloyds Banking Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the third quarter worth $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2,671.6% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 5,959 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 5,744 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,406 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 3,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 124.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 7,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.15% of the company's stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LYG opened at $5.37 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $5.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.88. Lloyds Banking Group has a fifty-two week low of $3.74 and a fifty-two week high of $6.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 0.56.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 25.11% and a return on equity of 10.63%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Lloyds Banking Group

Lloyds Banking Group plc is a UK-based banking and financial services company that provides a broad range of retail, commercial and insurance products. Its principal consumer-facing brands include Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, through which it offers current accounts, savings, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans. The group also delivers services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporate clients, supplying business accounts, lending, payments and cash-management solutions.

In addition to core banking, Lloyds operates a significant wealth and insurance arm under the Scottish Widows brand, offering life insurance, pensions, investment and retirement planning products.

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