Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Thursday morning.

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Barclays in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Barclays Price Performance

Barclays stock opened at $14.01 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $13.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. Barclays has a 1 year low of $7.07 and a 1 year high of $14.07.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The business had revenue of $8.52 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Barclays will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the third quarter worth about $3,647,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates acquired a new stake in Barclays in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,276,000. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in Barclays by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,007,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,690,000 after purchasing an additional 426,815 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 268,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 44,760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Barclays by 101.3% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 174,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,119,000 after purchasing an additional 87,784 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

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.