Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 21.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,884 shares during the quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Intergy Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Tcwp LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:LYG opened at $3.22 on Friday. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 12-month low of $1.88 and a 12-month high of $3.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $3.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market cap of $50.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.47 and a beta of 1.34.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $9.55 billion during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 12.40% and a return on equity of 10.34%. On average, research analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were given a dividend of $0.0546 per share. This represents a yield of 4.4%. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is 26.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on LYG. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Citigroup cut Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.75.

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.