Barclays PLC $BCS Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. significantly increased its stake in Barclays PLC by 87.8%, acquiring a total of 342,599 shares valued at approximately $5.27 million.
• Barclays reported quarterly earnings of $0.62 per share, surpassing analyst expectations of $0.50, with revenue of $9.58 billion compared to estimated $7.06 billion.
• Despite a recent dividend declaration at $0.1557 per share, Barclays' payout ratio stands at just 14.29%, reflecting a conservative approach to dividend distribution amid fluctuating stock performance.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 87.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 342,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 160,195 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Barclays were worth $5,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Barclays by 78.7% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 8,892,766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $136,593,000 after purchasing an additional 3,917,785 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Barclays by 485.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,680,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $88,789,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,912 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Barclays by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,059,544 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $80,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,401 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth about $50,189,000. Finally, Duquesne Family Office LLC raised its stake in Barclays by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 3,186,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,353,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,100 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barclays Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of BCS stock traded down $0.25 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $20.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,558,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,737,976. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.70, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a market capitalization of $71.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.15. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $19.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.08. Barclays PLC has a 1-year low of $11.22 and a 1-year high of $20.58.

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

Barclays Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BCS. Citigroup cut shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays 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.