Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Hits New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $15.47 and last traded at $15.39, with a volume of 204018 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $14.88.

The financial services provider reported $0.34 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%.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This represents a dividend 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 payout ratio is currently 28.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter worth about $202,000. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Barclays by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 183,981 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares during the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 21,660 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 2,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Barclays by 7.7% in 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 buying an additional 27,851 shares during the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barclays Stock Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $54.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.02.

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.