Virtu Financial LLC Trims Stock Position in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Virtu Financial LLC cut its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 88.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,931 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 163,898 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $57,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LYG. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 122,641 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 3,346 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in Lloyds Banking Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 75,049 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,420 shares during the period. Brio Consultants LLC lifted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Brio Consultants LLC now owns 16,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 20,552 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 4,022 shares during the period. Finally, Fielder Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 60,993 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 4,366 shares in the last quarter. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LYG traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $3.39. The stock had a trading volume of 36,345,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,664,159. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 1 year low of $2.42 and a 1 year high of $3.91. The firm's 50 day moving average is $3.49 and its 200-day moving average is $3.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.26 and a beta of 1.25.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.76 billion. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 11.45% and a return on equity of 8.46%. Analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on LYG. Hsbc Global Res raised Lloyds Banking Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.