BUZZ-Lloyds: boosted as Investec pegs as "buy" opportunity

** Lloyds Banking Group (Other OTC: LLOBF - news) up 2.9 pct, among top FTSE 100 gainers & on track for sharpest gain in over 3.5 mnths after brokerage Investec (LSE: INVP.L - news) says share price weakness triggers automatic buy

** More than a quarter of 90-day daily avg volume goes through in first 45 mins, making stock fourth-top traded UK blue-chip stock

** Investec moves stock up to "buy" from "hold", but keeps TP of 86p

** 15 of 24 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 7 "hold" and 2 "sell" or lower; their median PT is 97p

** "With the share price now below 73.6p, we think that UKFI's trading programme is "suspended", which may offer a degree of technical support," Invetec writes

** UK govt on Monday cuts holding in Lloyds to below 13 pct

** Stock hits 72.17p on Monday, lowest since Jan 15

** Up to Monday's close, stock had fallen c.11.7 pct, more than the 8.7 pct fall in peer E300 Banks index (RM (LSE: RM.L - news) : esha.vaish.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)