Two Sigma Securities LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Two Sigma Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 221.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 276,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 190,159 shares during the period. Two Sigma Securities LLC's holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crux Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company's stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 0.8 %

LYG stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $3.99. 21,254,776 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,135,084. The firm's 50 day moving average is $3.69 and its 200 day moving average is $3.16. The firm has a market cap of $60.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 0.95. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a twelve month low of $2.55 and a twelve month high of $4.02.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.03). Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 11.45%. The firm had revenue of $9.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.76 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.1035 per share. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. This represents a dividend yield of 4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. Lloyds Banking Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LYG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. HSBC upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.