Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Shares Sold by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Wells Fargo & Company MN trimmed its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,090,946 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 245,863 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN's holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $16,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 0.1 %

LYG traded up $0.01 on Friday, hitting $3.77. 24,840,045 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,734,848. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a fifty-two week low of $2.49 and a fifty-two week high of $3.91. The stock has a market cap of $57.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $3.12.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.76 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.27 EPS for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.1035 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 4%. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. Lloyds Banking Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LYG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC upgraded Lloyds Banking Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Lloyds Banking Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $2.75.

Lloyds Banking Group 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.