Barclays PLC $BCS Shares Bought by Acadian Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC has significantly increased its stake in Barclays PLC by 37.6%, now owning approximately 33.6 million shares of the company, valued at around $516 million.
• Analysts have mixed views on Barclays, with four giving the stock a "Buy" rating while one has downgraded it to "Hold," resulting in an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Barclays PLC recently reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter with an EPS of $0.62 and announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.1557, yielding 210.0% for shareholders.

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 37.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,607,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 9,188,263 shares during the quarter. Barclays accounts for 1.5% of Acadian Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned about 0.94% of Barclays worth $516,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in Barclays during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in Barclays in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Wealthquest Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Barclays in the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company's stock.

Barclays Trading Up 1.6%

Barclays stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $21.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,703,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,438,498. The stock's fifty day moving average is $19.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.51. 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 $74.34 billion, a PE ratio of 9.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.14. Barclays PLC has a 1 year low of $11.48 and a 1 year high of $21.13.

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

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.1557 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. Barclays's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BCS. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup lowered shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.