NFJ Investment Group LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Barclays PLC $BCS

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC reduced its stake in Barclays PLC by 45.1%, selling 15,390 shares and leaving it with a total of 18,697 shares valued at $287,000.
• Barclays PLC reported a net margin of 22.11% and a revenue of $9.58 billion for its last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations significantly.
• The company's recent dividend announcement included a payout of $0.1557 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 210.0%, with shares trading down 2.0% at $19.72.

NFJ Investment Group LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 45.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,390 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC's holdings in Barclays were worth $287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position 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 valued at $88,789,000 after buying an additional 5,538,912 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position 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 valued at $136,593,000 after buying an additional 3,917,785 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,189,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Barclays by 8,088.1% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 882,108 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,549,000 after buying an additional 871,335 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Barclays during the first quarter valued at approximately $12,809,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCS traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $20.76. 3,857,960 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,491,328. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $19.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.45. Barclays PLC has a one year low of $11.48 and a one year high of $20.82. The stock has a market cap of $73.28 billion, a PE ratio of 9.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.14.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $7.06 billion. As a group, analysts predict 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 given a dividend of $0.1557 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BCS. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. 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 lowered shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.