Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $16.36 and last traded at $16.32, with a volume of 12973256 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BCS. BNP Paribas raised shares of Barclays from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Barclays has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $58.32 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.20 and its 200 day moving average is $14.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.04. Barclays had a net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 7.74%. The business had revenue of $10.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.37 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.2737 dividend. This is an increase from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Barclays's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BCS. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in Barclays by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 31,547 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $485,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Barclays by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 9,476 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Barclays by 2.1% during the first quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 36,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. Covenant Partners LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 102,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,358,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in Barclays by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 46,860 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company's stock.

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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