Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $16.23 and last traded at $15.84, with a volume of 34894366 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

Barclays Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.11 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.41.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. Equities analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.2737 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s payout ratio is 28.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Barclays in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Barclays by 135.5% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Barclays

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.