Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Lowered to "Buy" Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday.

BCS has been the topic of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a "buy" rating for the company.

Barclays Price Performance

NYSE:BCS traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $13.48. 14,333,552 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,571,856. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $12.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67. The company has a market cap of $49.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.17 and a beta of 1.41. Barclays has a 1 year low of $6.58 and a 1 year high of $13.50.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 17.83%. The business had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Barclays will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Barclays by 1,362.1% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 19,682,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $210,762,000 after purchasing an additional 18,335,937 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Barclays by 11.9% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,007,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,690,000 after acquiring an additional 426,815 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Barclays by 190.9% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,661,086 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,210,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402,500 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in Barclays by 286.1% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,565,033 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,315,000 after purchasing an additional 2,641,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Barclays by 118.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,709,312 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470,523 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is owned by 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.