Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 55.40 ($0.69).

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 59 ($0.73) price objective on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group to a “market perform” rating and set a GBX 50 ($0.62) price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 55 ($0.68) to GBX 58 ($0.72) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 41 ($0.51) to GBX 45 ($0.56) and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th.

Insider Activity at Lloyds Banking Group

In related news, insider William Chalmers purchased 128,118 shares of Lloyds Banking Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.65) per share, for a total transaction of £66,621.36 ($82,934.59). In other Lloyds Banking Group news, insider Robin Budenberg bought 1,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 45 ($0.56) per share, for a total transaction of £450,000 ($560,189.22). Also, insider William Chalmers bought 128,118 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.65) per share, with a total value of £66,621.36 ($82,934.59). 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

LON:LLOY opened at GBX 49.97 ($0.62) on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is GBX 48.08 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 45.35. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52 week low of GBX 39.42 ($0.49) and a 52 week high of GBX 54.28 ($0.68). The firm has a market cap of £31.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 639.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 11th will be given a dividend of GBX 1.84 ($0.02) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a yield of 4.25%. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous dividend of $0.92. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3,750.00%.

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.