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

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $9.52 and last traded at $9.51, with a volume of 2101066 shares changing 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 report on Wednesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $190.00.

Barclays Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.67. The firm has a market cap of $36.06 billion, a PE ratio of 6.87, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.47.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its earnings results 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). Barclays had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 6.09%. The business had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.38 billion. Equities analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.2671 per share. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.14. This represents a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. Barclays’s payout ratio is presently 37.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Barclays by 1,934.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 168,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 159,996 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 8.2% in the first 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 during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Barclays by 33.8% in the first 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. lifted its holdings in Barclays by 171.3% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.