Short Interest in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Increases By 6.5%

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,030,000 shares, an increase of 6.5% from the October 15th total of 5,660,000 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 12,800,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCS traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.09. The stock had a trading volume of 4,924,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,356,655. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $12.44 and a 200-day moving average of $11.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market capitalization of $47.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.90 and a beta of 1.41. Barclays has a 12-month low of $7.02 and a 12-month high of $13.57.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) 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 last year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Barclays will post 1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on BCS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the second quarter worth $30,000. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. bought a new position in shares of Barclays during the third quarter worth $42,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 71.8% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,524 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 32.4% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Barclays during the first quarter worth $48,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.