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

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LYG shares. HSBC upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

NYSE:LYG traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $4.18. 17,739,148 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,198,538. The firm's 50-day moving average is $3.96 and its 200-day moving average is $3.43. The stock has a market cap of $62.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 1.01. Lloyds Banking Group has a 1-year low of $2.56 and a 1-year high of $4.30.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.03. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 11.45%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.78 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,126,422 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,064,000 after buying an additional 70,838 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 389.2% in the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 133,398 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 106,128 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter worth about $11,226,000. Finally, Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $422,000. 2.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.