Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $12.50 and last traded at $12.47, with a volume of 878448 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $12.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on Barclays in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Barclays in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Barclays has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The company has a market cap of $46.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.14.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.98 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 16.83% and a return on equity of 5.94%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC boosted its stake in Barclays by 14.8% in the 1st quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 1,069,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,111,000 after purchasing an additional 138,064 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in Barclays in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $559,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Barclays in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $947,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Barclays by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,238,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,706,000 after acquiring an additional 255,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 1,502.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,346,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,711,000 after acquiring an additional 1,262,165 shares in 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.