Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Sells 63,521 Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC decreased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 73.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 63,521 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $54,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 149.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 29,696,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,975,000 after buying an additional 17,814,615 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD grew its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 29,131,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,050,000 after buying an additional 2,336,000 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,625,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,528,000 after buying an additional 439,009 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 7,122,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,021,000 after acquiring an additional 1,840,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 6,537,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,155,000 after acquiring an additional 52,395 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 1.7 %

LYG traded down $0.04 during trading on Monday, reaching $2.57. The company had a trading volume of 7,071,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,215,483. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $2.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 12 month low of $1.88 and a 12 month high of $2.72. The company has a market cap of $40.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.75, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.32.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $19.05 billion during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 10.35%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $0.046 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. Lloyds Banking Group’s payout ratio is 47.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating and a $2.75 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.39.

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.