Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the four brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BCS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Barclays in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st.

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of BCS opened at $10.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.15, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.44 and a 200-day moving average of $8.11. The company has a market cap of $40.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.43. Barclays has a one year low of $6.23 and a one year high of $10.73.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $6.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.38 billion. Barclays had a net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 6.13%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Barclays will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.2671 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.14. Barclays’s payout ratio is 38.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Barclays in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Barclays in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Barclays by 51.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Barclays by 58.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,421 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 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.