Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 276 ($3.59).

Several research firms recently weighed in on BARC. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Barclays from GBX 260 ($3.38) to GBX 250 ($3.25) and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “top pick” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Shore Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, June 19th. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 280 ($3.64) price objective on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 335 ($4.35) target price on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, May 21st.

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of BARC opened at GBX 224.85 ($2.92) on Thursday. Barclays has a 1 year low of GBX 128.12 ($1.66) and a 1 year high of GBX 241.80 ($3.14). The company’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 218.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 198.21. The company has a market capitalization of £33.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 864.81, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.40.

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a GBX 2.90 ($0.04) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3,076.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Barclays

In related news, insider Dawn Fitzpatrick purchased 5,259 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 210 ($2.73) per share, for a total transaction of £11,043.90 ($14,350.18). In other Barclays news, insider Anna Cross sold 53,422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 203 ($2.64), for a total transaction of £108,446.66 ($140,913.02). Also, insider Dawn Fitzpatrick bought 5,259 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 210 ($2.73) per share, with a total value of £11,043.90 ($14,350.18). 1.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.