Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on BCS. Kepler Capital Markets began coverage on Barclays in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of BCS opened at $13.21 on Thursday. Barclays has a 12-month low of $6.91 and a 12-month high of $13.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67. The company has a market cap of $48.09 billion, a PE ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $12.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.65.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Barclays will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Barclays by 1,362.1% in the second 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. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Barclays in the third quarter valued at approximately $52,335,000. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Barclays by 286.1% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,565,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,315,000 after purchasing an additional 2,641,608 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays by 190.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,661,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,210,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of Barclays by 6,028.3% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,718,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,239,000 after buying an additional 1,690,339 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.