Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Update

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 23,190,000 shares, an increase of 91.3% from the February 28th total of 12,120,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 19,750,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Barclays by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 9,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Covenant Partners LLC grew its stake in Barclays by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 102,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,358,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares during the period. Choreo LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 46,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Barclays by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 48,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $641,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of Barclays by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 40,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Barclays has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

BCS traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.42. 14,271,066 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,832,257. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. Barclays has a 1-year low of $8.95 and a 1-year high of $16.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.2737 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is 29.89%.

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.