Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $13.83 and last traded at $13.80, with a volume of 752358 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BCS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Barclays Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $49.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $12.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Barclays PLC will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the second quarter worth $30,000. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. bought a new position in Barclays during the third quarter valued at $42,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Barclays by 32.4% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Barclays by 452.5% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 5,163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Barclays by 42.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 2,774 shares during the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.