LPL Financial LLC Raises Position in Barclays PLC $BCS

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Barclays PLC by 24.5%, acquiring an additional 40,066 shares, bringing their total holdings to 203,785 shares valued at approximately $3.13 million.
• Barclays reported earnings of $0.62 per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding estimates and boasting a net margin of 22.11% and a return on equity of 8.49%.
• Despite recent solid earnings, Barclays has faced downgrades from several analysts, with ratings shifting from "buy" to "hold" or "neutral," indicating a more cautious outlook on the stock.

LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 24.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 203,785 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,066 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Barclays were worth $3,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Barclays by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 182,404 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,424,000 after purchasing an additional 9,911 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Barclays by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 202,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,691,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in Barclays by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 64,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $863,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its position in Barclays by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 162,632 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 11,406 shares during the period. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its position in Barclays by 165.7% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 47,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 29,360 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Barclays currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Price Performance

BCS stock traded up $0.0950 on Wednesday, reaching $20.2150. The company had a trading volume of 7,901,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,272,852. Barclays PLC has a 1 year low of $11.22 and a 1 year high of $20.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.70, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company's fifty day moving average is $18.87 and its 200 day moving average is $16.87. The company has a market cap of $71.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The business 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 $0.1557 dividend. 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%.

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.