Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Short Interest Down 19.9% in October

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,830,000 shares, a decrease of 19.9% from the September 30th total of 11,020,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,420,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Institutional Trading of Lloyds Banking Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Intergy Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the second quarter worth $29,000. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. acquired a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the first quarter valued at $30,000. 2.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LYG traded down $0.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $2.95. The company had a trading volume of 15,713,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,567,751. The company has a market cap of $46.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.45. The business's 50-day moving average is $3.08 and its 200 day moving average is $2.89. Lloyds Banking Group has a 52 week low of $1.88 and a 52 week high of $3.24.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $9.55 billion during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 12.40%. Equities research analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 5th. Citigroup lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.