Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $13.12 and last traded at $13.09, with a volume of 579537 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $12.47.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BCS shares. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on Barclays in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $48.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $12.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.26.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $0.2684 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Barclays’s payout ratio is presently 21.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors 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 purchasing an additional 18,335,937 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Barclays by 190.9% in the 2nd 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 period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Barclays by 6,028.3% during the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,718,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,239,000 after buying an additional 1,690,339 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 118.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,709,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470,523 shares during the period. Finally, Duquesne Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Barclays by 97.4% in the 2nd quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 2,075,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,228,000 after buying an additional 1,024,100 shares during the period. 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.