Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Hits New 1-Year High at $54.38

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 54.38 ($0.68) and last traded at GBX 54.02 ($0.68), with a volume of 892448125 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 53.72 ($0.67).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on LLOY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 41 ($0.52) to GBX 45 ($0.57) and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 55 ($0.69) to GBX 58 ($0.73) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Lloyds Banking Group to a “market perform” rating and set a GBX 50 ($0.63) price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Shore Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 59 ($0.74) price target on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 55.33 ($0.70).

Lloyds Banking Group Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 51.12 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 46.44. The firm has a market cap of £34.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 770.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.24.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 11th will be issued a GBX 1.84 ($0.02) dividend. This is a boost from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.25%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4,285.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider William Chalmers purchased 128,118 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.65) per share, with a total value of £66,621.36 ($83,695.18). In other Lloyds Banking Group news, insider Robin Budenberg purchased 1,000,000 shares of Lloyds Banking Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 45 ($0.57) per share, for a total transaction of £450,000 ($565,326.63). Also, insider William Chalmers acquired 128,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.65) per share, for a total transaction of £66,621.36 ($83,695.18). 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.