11 Top Performing European Stocks So Far In 2025

2. Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 11

YTD Share Price Performance as of April 11: 32.96%

Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) is a UK-based financial services provider that operates through three business segments – Retail, Commercial Banking, and Insurance, Pensions & Investments. On March 4, Morgan Stanley upgraded Lloyds stock from Equal Weight to Overweight and raised the price target to £0.90 from £0.70. Morgan Stanley remarked that Lloyds’ recent stock rise is a bounce-back from last year’s struggles, mainly due to slower growth in net interest income (NII) and the ongoing Motor Finance litigation. They expect the company to catch up on NII in the next couple of years and see more evident progress on the litigation by mid-year. LYG is one of the best performing stocks from Europe.

In 2024, Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) did well financially, with income growth driven by a higher banking net interest margin and other income. The bank kept costs under control and maintained strong asset quality, allowing for £3.6 billion in shareholder distributions for the year. LYG is building on current momentum and can potentially generate more than £1.5 billion in extra income by 2026. The company exceeded its 2024 targets, bringing in £0.8 billion in additional revenue and saving £1.2 billion in costs.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 11 hedge funds were long Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG), compared to 10 funds in the prior quarter. Israel Englander’s Millennium Management was a prominent stakeholder of the company, with 7 million shares valued at $72.5 million.