Unique Wealth Strategies LLC Makes New $66,000 Investment in Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 27,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $66,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LYG. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 29,131,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,050,000 after purchasing an additional 2,336,000 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 6,537,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,155,000 after purchasing an additional 52,395 shares in the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 5,357,751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,412,000 after purchasing an additional 56,406 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 5,281,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,250,000 after purchasing an additional 735,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,280,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,118,000 after purchasing an additional 209,486 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Lloyds Banking Group Trading Up 3.6 %

NYSE:LYG traded up $0.09 on Friday, hitting $2.61. 10,337,572 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,243,490. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.32. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 52 week low of $1.88 and a 52 week high of $2.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $2.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.28.

Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $19.05 billion during the quarter. Lloyds Banking Group had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 13.41%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lloyds Banking Group plc will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Lloyds Banking Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $0.046 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.9%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $2.75 target price on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.39.

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.