Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Buys 30,222 Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 116.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 30,222 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Barclays were worth $747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BCS. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Barclays by 11.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,432,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $78,149,000 after purchasing an additional 667,498 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth about $59,373,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the third quarter worth about $52,335,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 286.1% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,565,033 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $43,315,000 after purchasing an additional 2,641,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Todd Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Barclays by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 3,484,974 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,315,000 after purchasing an additional 18,854 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BCS. StockNews.com downgraded 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 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

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Barclays Stock Down 8.4 %

Shares of NYSE BCS traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $14.61. The company had a trading volume of 15,446,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,947,404. Barclays PLC has a one year low of $8.94 and a one year high of $16.33. The company has a market capitalization of $52.66 billion, a PE ratio of 7.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. 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 50-day simple moving average of $14.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.34.

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, 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays's payout ratio is 28.80%.

Barclays 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.