Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $16.34 and last traded at $16.31, with a volume of 2038594 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $57.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.63, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $15.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. On average, analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.2737 dividend. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Barclays by 485.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,680,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,789,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,912 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,373,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Barclays in the third quarter worth approximately $52,335,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $50,189,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Barclays by 667.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,603,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,886,000 after purchasing an additional 3,133,632 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Barclays Company Profile

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.