Lloyds Banking Group PLC $LYG Shares Sold by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) by 2.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,197 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,403 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $621,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 119.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 125,225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 68,064 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 374.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 219,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 173,496 shares during the period. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 26.8% during the 1st quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 14,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 3,082 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $170,000. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of LYG opened at $4.44 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $4.48 and its 200-day moving average is $4.18. Lloyds Banking Group PLC has a 12 month low of $2.56 and a 12 month high of $4.69. The firm has a market cap of $66.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.04. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 9.28%. The company had revenue of $6.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. Equities analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group PLC will post 0.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 4th were paid a dividend of $0.0655 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 370.0%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 32.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Lloyds Banking Group 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.