Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Sets New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 63.56 ($0.79) and last traded at GBX 63.36 ($0.79), with a volume of 1515393875 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 63.34 ($0.78).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LLOY. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a GBX 60 ($0.74) price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 55.50 ($0.69).

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Up 0.4 %

The stock has a market cap of £38.48 billion, a PE ratio of 897.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 56.54 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 57.27.

Insider Activity

In other Lloyds Banking Group news, insider William Chalmers purchased 128,804 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 54 ($0.67) per share, with a total value of £69,554.16 ($86,188.55). Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

About Lloyds Banking Group

We are the largest UK retail and commercial financial services provider with over 25 million customers and a presence in nearly every community. The Group's main business activities are retail and commercial banking, general insurance and long-term savings, provided through the largest branch network and digital bank in the UK, with well recognised brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows. Our shares are quoted on the London and New York stock exchanges and we are one of the largest companies in the FTSE 100 index.