Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s What Happened

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 12,612,163 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the previous session’s volume of 19,782,174 shares.The stock last traded at $5.2250 and had previously closed at $5.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on LYG shares. Wall Street Zen raised Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group raised Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.87.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.63% and a net margin of 25.11%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lloyds Banking Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LYG. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 10.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,126,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,305,000 after buying an additional 108,100 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 124.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 263,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 145,772 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 812,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,103,000 after purchasing an additional 126,247 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 162.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 7,253 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 1st quarter valued at $639,000. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

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.