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

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

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 2.3 %

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

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is an increase from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous dividend of $0.92. This represents a yield of 4.25%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.