Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.94, but opened at $15.01. Barclays shares last traded at $14.88, with a volume of 3,437,933 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BCS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $54.44 billion, a PE ratio of 8.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.38.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 7.74%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter worth about $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.