Short Interest in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Decreases By 15.9%

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,390,000 shares, a decrease of 15.9% from the December 31st total of 9,980,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 11,950,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Lloyds Banking Group stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $3.12. The stock had a trading volume of 11,529,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,669,377. Lloyds Banking Group has a fifty-two week low of $2.00 and a fifty-two week high of $3.24. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $2.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.20 billion, a PE ratio of 7.99 and a beta of 1.31.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 26.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 840,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,294,000 after acquiring an additional 176,464 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 126.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 140,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 78,530 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 323.3% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 136,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 104,326 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 822,309 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,245,000 after buying an additional 162,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 25.7% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 106,165 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 21,709 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Morgan Stanley downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.75.

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.