Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Barclays PLC $BCS

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Barclays PLC by 89.3% in the first quarter, holding 106,350 shares valued at $1,634,000 by the reporting period's end.
• Barclays reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.62, exceeding estimates, with revenue reaching $9.58 billion compared to the consensus of $7.06 billion.
• Multiple brokerages have adjusted their ratings on Barclays, with Citigroup downgrading it from "buy" to "neutral" while others maintain a generally positive outlook with an average rating of "Moderate Buy."

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 89.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 50,170 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Barclays were worth $1,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in Barclays in the 1st quarter worth about $276,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 87.8% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 342,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,267,000 after purchasing an additional 160,195 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Barclays by 44.9% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 534,544 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,211,000 after purchasing an additional 165,655 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in Barclays during the 1st quarter worth $349,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the 1st quarter valued at $569,000. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company's stock.

Barclays Stock Performance

NYSE:BCS traded down $0.0450 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $20.2150. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,653,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,228,789. The business's fifty day moving average is $18.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.90. The stock has a market cap of $71.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.15. 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 current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $7.06 billion. Analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.1557 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.