Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $18.23 and last traded at $18.16, with a volume of 342299 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.60.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th.

Barclays Trading Up 3.8%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.32. The firm has a market cap of $64.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. Barclays had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 8.04%. The company had revenue of $10.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.37 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Barclays by 37.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 33,607,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $516,163,000 after buying an additional 9,188,263 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Barclays by 64.9% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 17,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 6,771 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Barclays by 1.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 350,153 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,379,000 after acquiring an additional 5,064 shares during the last quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC raised its position in Barclays by 2.3% during the first quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 32,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $502,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the first quarter worth about $230,000. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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