Barclays (LON:BARC) Rating Increased to Outperform at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Barclays to Outperform and raised its price target to GBX 575, implying roughly a 34.8% upside from the prior close.
• Barclays reported solid Q1 results and launched a £500m buyback, while several brokers have raised targets and the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a consensus target of GBX 507.50.
• Near-term headwinds include a one-off fraud-related provision of about £800–£823m, a ~£228m hit from the collapse of MFS, and rising loan losses above ~$1.1bn.

Barclays (LON:BARC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Digital Look reports. The firm currently has a GBX 575 price objective on the financial services provider's stock, up from their previous price objective of GBX 550. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective indicates a potential upside of 34.83% from the stock's previous close.

BARC has been the topic of several other research reports. Shore Capital Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Barclays from GBX 425 to GBX 450 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Barclays from GBX 480 to GBX 570 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Barclays from GBX 500 to GBX 570 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Barclays currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 507.50.

Barclays Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of LON:BARC traded down GBX 0.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting GBX 426.45. 286,315,188 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 58,036,207. The stock has a market cap of £58.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Barclays has a 12-month low of GBX 287.92 and a 12-month high of GBX 507.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 421.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 436.11.

Barclays (LON:BARC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported GBX 14.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of GBX 816.30 billion for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 9.41% and a net margin of 17.82%. As a group, analysts expect that Barclays will post 39.1062802 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Barclays

In other news, insider Robert Berry bought 1,891 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 481 per share, for a total transaction of £9,095.71. Also, insider Marc Moses bought 1,703 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 481 per share, for a total transaction of £8,191.43. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 27,452 shares of company stock valued at $13,204,412. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Barclays News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Barclays this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results and a shareholder return boost — Barclays reported solid first‑quarter returns and launched a £500m buyback, supporting capital metrics and near‑term earnings per‑share support. Barclays posts solid Q1 2026 returns and launches £500m buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing — major brokers are maintaining or reiterating constructive views (Bank of America kept a Buy with a 570p target; Shore Capital reaffirmed its buy) which can limit downside and attract buyers at these levels. Barclays keeps Buy and 570 GBp target (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO media appearances — CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan gave interviews outlining strategy and risk controls; useful for context but unlikely to move the stock without new guidance. CNBC interview with Barclays CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Large fraud‑related provision — reports say the bank set aside roughly £800–£823m for bad debts after a fraud hit; that one‑off charge increases near‑term credit costs and clouds capital deployment. Barclays sets aside £823m for bad debts after fraud hit (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Exposure to collapsed shadow lender (MFS) — the FT and other outlets report a £228m (and related ~$230m) hit from the collapse of a UK mortgage/shadow bank counterparty; management is signalling reduced exposure to complex lending. This raises concerns about asset‑quality in stressed segments. Barclays takes £228mn hit from collapse of UK mortgage lender MFS (FT)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising loan‑losses — aggregate coverage and reported loan losses have increased (reports cite loan losses rising above ~$1.1bn), adding pressure to near‑term profitability and creating uncertainty over further provisions. Barclays loan losses rise above $1.1 billion (MSN)

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. In addition, the company engages in securities dealing activities. The company was formerly known as Barclays Bank Limited and changed its name to Barclays PLC in January 1985.

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