Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Short Interest Down 25.3% in December

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,190,000 shares, a decrease of 25.3% from the November 30th total of 9,620,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 10,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Lloyds Banking Group Stock Down 1.8 %

LYG stock traded down $0.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $2.70. 7,785,978 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,668,697. Lloyds Banking Group has a twelve month low of $2.00 and a twelve month high of $3.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $2.79 and its 200 day moving average is $2.91. 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 firm has a market cap of $40.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.32.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 58.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,659,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,778,000 after purchasing an additional 2,456,914 shares during the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group by 4.5% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,059,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,306,000 after acquiring an additional 45,249 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Lloyds Banking Group by 95.5% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 115,232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 56,296 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Lloyds Banking Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $262,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the third quarter valued at $64,000. Institutional investors own 2.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on LYG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on Lloyds Banking Group in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Lloyds Banking Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lloyds Banking Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.75.

About Lloyds Banking Group

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.