Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.94, but opened at $15.01. Barclays shares last traded at $14.88, with a volume of 3,437,933 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded Barclays from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $14.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.38.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 7.74%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Remove Ads

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This is an increase from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Barclays's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCS. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Barclays in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in Barclays by 135.5% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is currently 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.