Barclays PLC $BCS Shares Sold by Twin Tree Management LP

Key Points

• Twin Tree Management LP has reduced its holdings in Barclays PLC by 66.1% in the first quarter, leaving it with 100,924 shares worth approximately $1.55 million.
• Barclays recently declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.1557 per share with an impressive yield of 210.0%.
• The company's stock faced mixed analyst ratings, with Citigroup downgrading it to "neutral," while other analysts maintained an "overweight" or "outperform" rating.

Twin Tree Management LP trimmed its stake in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 66.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,924 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 196,781 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP's holdings in Barclays were worth $1,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 78.7% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Barclays by 485.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Barclays by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,059,544 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $80,531,000 after buying an additional 1,029,401 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Barclays by 11.4% during the 1st 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,189,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BCS. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup downgraded shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Stock Performance

NYSE:BCS traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,237,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,084,942. Barclays PLC has a 1 year low of $11.22 and a 1 year high of $20.58. 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 stock has a market cap of $69.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.09, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $19.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.31.

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

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The firm 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 $0.1557 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 210.0%. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.29%.

About Barclays

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.