Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $14.27, but opened at $14.70. Barclays shares last traded at $14.87, with a volume of 1,151,306 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Barclays Trading Up 0.9 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $15.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This is a boost from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Barclays's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BCS. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Barclays during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Barclays in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company's stock.

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.