Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down to $12.45

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) shares gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $12.45, but opened at $11.88. Barclays shares last traded at $11.91, with a volume of 4,488,591 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Barclays Trading Down 4.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.15, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $43.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $11.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.29.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders 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 is Friday, August 16th. This represents a yield of 3.6%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is 21.64%.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 14.8% in the first quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 1,069,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,111,000 after purchasing an additional 138,064 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 103.1% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 188,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 95,474 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Barclays by 335.5% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 361,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,847,000 after acquiring an additional 278,353 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in Barclays in the second quarter worth about $559,000. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Barclays during the first quarter valued at approximately $947,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.