Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Update

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 7,348,113 shares, a growth of 19.1% from the February 12th total of 6,167,567 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 8,164,690 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 8,164,690 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Barclays by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 42,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Barclays by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 14,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. raised its stake in Barclays by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 122,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,129,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in Barclays by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Barclays Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of BCS traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $21.33. The company had a trading volume of 4,435,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,353,760. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.45. Barclays has a 52 week low of $12.14 and a 52 week high of $27.70. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $25.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.05. The stock has a market cap of $73.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.95.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.23 billion. Barclays had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 8.33%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Barclays will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.3069 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 236.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. Barclays’s payout ratio is currently 25.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BCS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Barclays

Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) is a British multinational bank and financial services company headquartered in London. The firm provides a broad range of banking and financial products to individual, corporate and institutional customers. Its core activities span retail and business banking, credit cards and payments, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.

In retail and business banking, Barclays offers deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and business loans, and card services.