Barclays (LON:BARC) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Barclays PLC reached a new 52-week high of GBX 388.65 ($5.27), currently trading at GBX 384.25 ($5.21) with significant trading volume.
• Analysts have mixed predictions for Barclays, with five giving it a "Buy" rating and a consensus target price of GBX 424.33 following various upgrades and downgrades.
• The company reported a net margin of 19.54% with a quarterly earnings per share of GBX 11.70, and insiders have recently sold and purchased company shares, indicating active interest from management.

Barclays PLC (LON:BARC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 388.65 ($5.27) and last traded at GBX 384.25 ($5.21), with a volume of 502693813 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 384.55 ($5.21).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BARC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Shore Capital raised their price target on shares of Barclays from GBX 395 to GBX 410 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Barclays from GBX 420 to GBX 500 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Citigroup cut shares of Barclays to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from GBX 360 to GBX 366 in a report on Friday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 380 target price on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Barclays from GBX 405 to GBX 455 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 424.33.

Barclays Stock Down 0.8%

The firm has a market cap of £53.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 941.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.36. The company's 50-day moving average price is GBX 365.66 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 326.21.

Barclays (LON:BARC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported GBX 11.70 earnings per share for the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 19.54% and a return on equity of 6.97%. Analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 39.1062802 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anna Cross sold 753,438 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 373, for a total transaction of £2,810,323.74. Also, insider Brian Shea purchased 2,931 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 371 per share, for a total transaction of £10,874.01. Insiders acquired a total of 26,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,785,867 in the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.