Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Reaches New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from GBX 98 to GBX 106. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Lloyds Banking Group traded as high as GBX 111.45 and last traded at GBX 111.45, with a volume of 274020469 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 106.93.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 102 to GBX 117 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Shore Capital lowered Lloyds Banking Group to a “sell” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from GBX 84 to GBX 91 in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 100 to GBX 110 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 105 target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 103 price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of GBX 107.78.

Key Lloyds Banking Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lloyds Banking Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lloyds confirmed continued execution of its buyback programme — repurchasing 9,126,119 shares on Feb 2 and then buying back and cancelling nearly 3 million more on Feb 3. The cancellations reduce share count, improve EPS and underpin dividend capacity, which is supportive for the share price. Lloyds Buys Back Over 9 Million Shares Lloyds Buys Back and Cancels Nearly 3 Million Shares
• Positive Sentiment: The stock has hit a new 52‑week high after at least one analyst upgrade/positive note, which can attract momentum flows and benchmark reweighting into the name. LLOY Hits New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from GBX 98 to GBX 106 while keeping a “neutral” rating — a modest positive signal on valuation but no change in stance. Citigroup Raises PT to GBX 106
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank cut its price target to GBX 125 but maintained a “buy” rating — mixed guidance (lower PT reduces upside estimate, but buy stance supports longer-term conviction). Deutsche Bank Lowers PT to GBX 125
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America Securities reiterated a “hold” on Lloyds — a steady but non-committal broker view that is unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Bank of America Reiterates Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Shore Capital downgraded Lloyds to “sell” (new PT GBX 91), signaling a more bearish near-term view and adding downside pressure for investors who follow sell-side momentum. Shore Capital Downgrades to Sell

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 1.0%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 99.34 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 89.39. The firm has a market capitalization of £66.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported GBX 7 earnings per share for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 16.66% and a return on equity of 11.22%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 7.3199528 EPS for the current year.

About Lloyds Banking Group

We are the largest UK retail and commercial financial services provider with over 25 million customers and a presence in nearly every community.

The Group’s main business activities are retail and commercial banking, general insurance and long-term savings, provided through the largest branch network and digital bank in the UK, with well recognised brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows.

Our shares are quoted on the London and New York stock exchanges and we are one of the largest companies in the FTSE 100 index.