Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Barclays shares opened at $19.37 after a significant gap down from the previous close of $20.03, with the last trade at $19.47.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Barclays, with Royal Bank of Canada issuing an "outperform" rating while Citigroup downgraded the stock from "buy" to "neutral", resulting in a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• The company recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.1557 per share, indicating a yield of 210%, despite a dividend payout ratio of 14.29%.

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $20.03, but opened at $19.37. Barclays shares last traded at $19.47, with a volume of 555,881 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Trading Down 2.1%

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $19.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.70.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.62 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $9.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.06 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.1557 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 210.0%. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.29%.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter valued at $1,097,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 36,533 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 1,552 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Barclays by 104.9% in the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 167,961 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,232,000 after buying an additional 86,006 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Barclays by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,059,544 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $80,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays by 62.3% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 381,369 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,068,000 after purchasing an additional 146,406 shares during 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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