Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Short Interest Update

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 16,237,483 shares, a drop of 35.2% from the February 12th total of 25,077,095 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 22,552,258 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 22,552,258 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

NYSE:LYG traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5.03. 22,466,839 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,498,838. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.05. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52 week low of $3.27 and a 52 week high of $6.34. The firm has a market cap of $74.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The company had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.134 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a yield of 447.0%. Lloyds Banking Group’s payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Institutional Trading of Lloyds Banking Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. now owns 104,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 18,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 2,040 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 6,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,051 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance LLC increased its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 20,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 2,146 shares during the period. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LYG shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered Lloyds Banking Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.