Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on BCS shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas raised Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Trading Down 1.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The stock has a market cap of $57.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.68.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Henry James International Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter worth about $438,000. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,514,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter worth approximately $599,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 3,073.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 689,413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,052,000 after purchasing an additional 667,687 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey Wright & Associates acquired a new position in Barclays in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,276,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

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.