Free Trial

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

Lloyds Banking Group logo with Finance background

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".

View Our Latest Stock Report on Lloyds Banking Group

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

(Get Free Report)

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.

Recommended Stories

Should You Invest $1,000 in Lloyds Banking Group Right Now?

Before you consider Lloyds Banking Group, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Lloyds Banking Group wasn't on the list.

While Lloyds Banking Group currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

Ten Starter Stocks For Beginners to Buy Now Cover

Just getting into the stock market? These 10 simple stocks can help beginning investors build long-term wealth without knowing options, technicals, or other advanced strategies.

Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.

Featured Articles and Offers

Recent Videos

NVIDIA Earnings Preview: HUGE Stock Move Ahead
These 5 Small Stocks Could Deliver Huge Returns
ACT FAST! Congress Is POURING Into This Stock

Stock Lists

All Stock Lists

Investing Tools

Calendars and Tools

Search Headlines