Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Position in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,474,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,387 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $4,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

NYSE:LYG opened at $3.74 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 1 year low of $2.42 and a 1 year high of $3.91. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.03. The company has a market capitalization of $56.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 1.25.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.76 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 11.45% and a return on equity of 8.46%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.1035 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This is an increase from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. This represents a yield of 4%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LYG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised Lloyds Banking Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.75.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.