Cerity Partners LLC Buys 290,927 Shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) by 73.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 687,833 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 290,927 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Lloyds Banking Group were worth $2,146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,252,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 49.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,577,101 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,415,000 after acquiring an additional 2,841,956 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 114.5% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,487,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327,589 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 1,653.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,214,920 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 25.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 5,087,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026,639 shares during the period. 2.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LYG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded Lloyds Banking Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.75.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance

NYSE:LYG opened at $2.70 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $41.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.92. Lloyds Banking Group plc has a 1-year low of $2.00 and a 1-year high of $3.24.

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.