Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Barclays has been upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating, indicating increased confidence from analysts regarding its future performance.
• Institutional investors have been actively acquiring new stakes in Barclays, with several firms participating during the recent quarters, reflecting growing interest in the company's stock.
• Barclays reported earnings of $0.62 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, and posted a revenue of $9.58 billion compared to an estimated $7.06 billion.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Barclays from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Barclays Stock Performance

BCS opened at $20.67 on Monday. Barclays has a 12-month low of $11.48 and a 12-month high of $21.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.63 billion, a PE ratio of 9.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $20.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.93.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.12. Barclays had a net margin of 22.11% and a return on equity of 8.49%. The company had revenue of $9.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.06 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Barclays will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Wealthquest Corp acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other 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.

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