Park Avenue Securities LLC Makes New $1.71 Million Investment in Barclays PLC $BCS

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities LLC has made a new investment in Barclays PLC, acquiring 91,873 shares worth approximately $1.71 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Acadian Asset Management and Natixis Advisors LLC, have significantly increased their stakes in Barclays during the first quarter, with Acadian increasing holdings by 37.6%.
• Barclays recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.62 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and the company has declared a semi-annual dividend yielding 2.10%.

Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 91,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,708,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BCS. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 37.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 33,607,068 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $516,163,000 after purchasing an additional 9,188,263 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 78.7% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 8,892,766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $136,593,000 after buying an additional 3,917,785 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 11.4% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 4,976,635 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $76,441,000 after buying an additional 509,110 shares in the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 3,817,305 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,634,000 after buying an additional 630,450 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 65.7% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,850,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,420,000 after buying an additional 733,520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on BCS shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Barclays from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Price Performance

BCS opened at $20.72 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.55, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $20.04 and a 200-day moving average of $17.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.70, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. Barclays PLC has a 1-year low of $11.48 and a 1-year high of $21.22.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.12. The business 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%. Equities analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.1557 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.75%.

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.

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