Lloyds Banking Group (LON:LLOY) Hits New 52-Week High at $56.00

Lloyds Banking Group plc (LON:LLOY) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as GBX 56 ($0.71) and last traded at GBX 55.76 ($0.71), with a volume of 2147000000 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 55.04 ($0.70).

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Peel Hunt initiated coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Friday, April 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a GBX 55 ($0.70) price objective on the stock. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 59 ($0.75) target price on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 41 ($0.52) to GBX 45 ($0.57) and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Lloyds Banking Group from GBX 55 ($0.70) to GBX 58 ($0.74) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lloyds Banking Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 55.33 ($0.70).

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 1.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of £35.90 billion, a PE ratio of 802.57, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 52.20 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 47.32.

Lloyds Banking Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 11th were paid a dividend of GBX 1.84 ($0.02) per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 11th. This is a positive change from Lloyds Banking Group’s previous dividend of $0.92. This represents a yield of 4.25%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4,285.71%.

Insider Activity

In other Lloyds Banking Group news, insider William Chalmers acquired 128,118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.66) per share, with a total value of £66,621.36 ($84,673.82). In related news, insider William Chalmers acquired 128,118 shares of Lloyds Banking Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 52 ($0.66) per share, for a total transaction of £66,621.36 ($84,673.82). Also, insider Robin Budenberg bought 1,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 45 ($0.57) per share, with a total value of £450,000 ($571,936.96). Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.