Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Sells 3,746,135 Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership trimmed its holdings in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,644,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,746,135 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.68% of Barclays worth $327,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 135.5% during 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 bought a new position in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Barclays Stock Down 7.9 %

Shares of NYSE:BCS traded down $1.25 during trading on Thursday, hitting $14.49. The stock had a trading volume of 14,083,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,822,199. The company has a market capitalization of $52.10 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. 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's fifty day moving average is $15.35 and its 200 day moving average is $13.80. Barclays PLC has a 12 month low of $8.95 and a 12 month high of $16.34.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised Barclays from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.