Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $13.63 and last traded at $13.62, with a volume of 301178 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets assumed coverage on Barclays in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Barclays Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $49.54 billion, a PE ratio of 9.10 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $12.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.89.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCS. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Barclays by 981.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 277,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,424,000 after purchasing an additional 251,613 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the third quarter worth about $120,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its stake in shares of Barclays by 83.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 26,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 11,966 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Barclays during the 3rd quarter valued at about $125,000. Finally, MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Barclays by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 180,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,190,000 after acquiring an additional 41,776 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.