Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Coverage Initiated at Kepler Capital Markets

Kepler Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on BCS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. They set a buy rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Barclays from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of BCS opened at $11.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The firm has a market cap of $42.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.43. The company’s fifty day moving average is $11.63 and its 200-day moving average is $10.55. Barclays has a 12 month low of $6.23 and a 12 month high of $12.49.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $7.98 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 16.83%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Barclays will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $0.2684 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCS. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Barclays by 1,362.1% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 19,682,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $210,762,000 after buying an additional 18,335,937 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Barclays by 190.9% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,661,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,210,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402,500 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Barclays by 118.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,709,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470,523 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 4.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,358,375 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,258,000 after purchasing an additional 105,857 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 231.3% in the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 2,323,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,306,000 after purchasing an additional 1,621,896 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.