Two Sigma Securities LLC Takes $843,000 Position in Lloyds Banking Group PLC $LYG

Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 144,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $843,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 131.2% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 5,137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 2,915 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 47.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 6,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,051 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 1,216.6% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 8,163 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 7,543 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 162.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 7,253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE LYG opened at $5.92 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. Lloyds Banking Group PLC has a 52 week low of $4.20 and a 52 week high of $6.34. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $6.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.60. The company has a market cap of $86.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.87.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.86 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.97% and a return on equity of 10.94%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.084 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 273.0%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Lloyds Banking Group from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus 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.