Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $13.32, but opened at $12.88. Barclays shares last traded at $12.98, with a volume of 1,679,828 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on Barclays in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday.

Barclays Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $47.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67.

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

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in Barclays in the 2nd quarter valued at $559,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Barclays during the first quarter worth $947,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 12.0% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 537,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,759,000 after buying an additional 57,607 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in Barclays by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,007,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,690,000 after buying an additional 426,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Barclays by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 159,804 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,510,000 after acquiring an additional 4,873 shares during the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.