Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Up to $11.74

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $11.74, but opened at $12.18. Barclays shares last traded at $12.10, with a volume of 1,504,121 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Kepler Capital Markets began coverage on Barclays in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Barclays currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.63, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. Barclays had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 16.83%. The business had revenue of $7.98 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,090,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 1,990,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,319,000 after purchasing an additional 457,000 shares in the last quarter. Senator Investment Group LP acquired a new stake in Barclays during the second quarter worth approximately $738,000. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Barclays by 13.0% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 277,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,977,000 after purchasing an additional 31,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Barclays by 10.2% in the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 35,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 3,241 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.