Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 12-Month High at $10.39

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $10.39 and last traded at $10.39, with a volume of 8140144 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.60.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $190.00.

Barclays Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $9.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.63, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $39.51 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.48.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.39). Barclays had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 6.09%. The business had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.38 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 1.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.2671 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a yield of 4.6%. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.14. Barclays’s payout ratio is 37.96%.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 127.0% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,397 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Barclays by 51.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Barclays by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,421 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Barclays

Barclays PLC provides various financial services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through Barclays UK and Barclays International division segments. It offers financial services, such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services.