Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Upgraded at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Barclays currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE BCS opened at $16.00 on Tuesday. Barclays has a one year low of $8.89 and a one year high of $16.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.67 billion, a PE ratio of 8.69, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $14.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.29.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. As a group, analysts predict that Barclays will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is 28.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 9,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Covenant Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 102,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,358,000 after buying an additional 772 shares during the period. Choreo LLC boosted its position in Barclays by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 46,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in Barclays by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 48,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in Barclays by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 40,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

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.