Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 60.33 ($0.78) and traded as high as GBX 71.42 ($0.92). Lloyds Banking Group shares last traded at GBX 69.70 ($0.90), with a volume of 165,195,781 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on LLOY. Citigroup upped their target price on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 61 ($0.79) to GBX 71 ($0.92) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Shore Capital reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 62 ($0.80) to GBX 71 ($0.92) and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 62.40 ($0.80).

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of £39.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 67.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 60.38.

Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 anticipate that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 7.3199528 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a GBX 2.11 ($0.03) dividend. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group's previous dividend of $1.06. This represents a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Lloyds Banking Group's payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William Chalmers sold 11,338 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 70 ($0.90), for a total value of £7,936.60 ($10,238.13). Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Company Profile

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.

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