Ascent Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Lloyds Banking Group PLC $LYG

Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) by 19.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,626 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 225.0% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,098,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,309,000 after buying an additional 4,914,680 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 95,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 4,585 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 181,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 47,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $269,000. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

NYSE:LYG opened at $4.53 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $4.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.44. Lloyds Banking Group PLC has a one year low of $2.56 and a one year high of $4.62. The firm has a market cap of $67.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.05.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.04. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 9.28%. The business had revenue of $6.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. Research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.27 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Monday, August 4th will be given a dividend of $0.0655 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 370.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 4th. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 32.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.