Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Short Interest Down 41.7% in April

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,750,000 shares, a decrease of 41.7% from the March 31st total of 25,320,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 32,050,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

LYG remained flat at $3.76 during trading on Friday. 34,503,465 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,478,627. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 0.95. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $3.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.18. Lloyds Banking Group has a twelve month low of $2.56 and a twelve month high of $4.00.

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

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $0.1035 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a yield of 4%. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. Lloyds Banking Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. HSBC upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Institutional Trading of Lloyds Banking Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LYG. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 20.4% during the first quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,168 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 2,573 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 61,411 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 2,617 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 27.2% during the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 12,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 15,369 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crumly & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 36,162 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884 shares during the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by 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.