Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Reaches New 52-Week High at $9.52

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $9.52 and last traded at $9.51, with a volume of 2101066 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Barclays has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $190.00.

Barclays Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.63. The firm's 50-day moving average is $8.25 and its 200-day moving average is $7.68. The company has a market cap of $35.83 billion, a PE ratio of 6.90, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.47.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.38 billion. Barclays had a return on equity of 6.09% and a net margin of 16.82%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a $0.2671 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.14. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.96%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Barclays by 1,934.9% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 168,265 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 159,996 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,299,509 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,166,000 after buying an additional 175,029 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Barclays by 33.8% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 22,110 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 5,580 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 1,026.8% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 265,893 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,101,000 after purchasing an additional 242,296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of Barclays by 171.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 29,371 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 18,545 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company's stock.

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.