Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from GBX 55 to GBX 62. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an underweight rating on the stock. Lloyds Banking Group traded as high as GBX 69.23 ($0.87) and last traded at GBX 68.62 ($0.86), with a volume of 222825781 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 67.32 ($0.85).

Separately, Shore Capital restated a "hold" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 58 ($0.73).

Insider Buying and Selling at Lloyds Banking Group

In related news, insider William Chalmers acquired 128,804 shares of Lloyds Banking Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 54 ($0.68) per share, for a total transaction of £69,554.16 ($87,478.51). 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £44.25 billion, a PE ratio of 9.23, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 60.23 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 58.11.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported GBX 6.30 ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 16.66% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Equities analysts expect that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 7.3199528 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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.