Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,300,000 shares, a growth of 5.2% from the July 15th total of 5,990,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 11,610,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Barclays in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th.

Barclays Stock Up 0.9 %

BCS stock traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $11.98. 10,806,569 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,089,533. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $11.22 and its 200-day moving average is $10.10. The company has a market cap of $44.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.94, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.15, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. Barclays has a 12 month low of $6.23 and a 12 month high of $12.11.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $7.98 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 5.96% and a net margin of 16.83%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Barclays will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $0.2684 dividend. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.6%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 11,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Barclays by 18.6% during the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 6,282 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares during the period. Sage Rhino Capital LLC grew its holdings in Barclays by 7.9% during the first quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 16,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Barclays by 2.0% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 61,623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Finally, AMG National Trust Bank grew its holdings in Barclays by 0.4% during the second quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 333,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the period. 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.