Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Upgraded by BNP Paribas to “Outperform” Rating

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Price Performance

Barclays stock opened at $16.00 on Tuesday. Barclays has a one year low of $8.89 and a one year high of $16.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $57.67 billion, a PE ratio of 8.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. As a group, research analysts expect that Barclays will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings 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 valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the period. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth $202,000. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Barclays by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 183,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after purchasing an additional 3,766 shares in the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Barclays by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 21,660 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 2,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Barclays by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 390,237 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,186,000 after purchasing an additional 27,851 shares in the last quarter. 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.