Short Interest in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Decreases By 9.8%

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,890,000 shares, a decrease of 9.8% from the January 15th total of 9,860,000 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 13,270,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Barclays by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 311,466 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,784,000 after acquiring an additional 33,538 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 14,160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,082 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 26,760 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 4,959 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Barclays by 398.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 31,425 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 25,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,007,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,690,000 after acquiring an additional 426,815 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company's stock.

Barclays Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Barclays stock traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $15.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,582,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,108,283. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The company has a market capitalization of $54.75 billion, a PE ratio of 8.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.03 and a 200 day moving average of $12.97. Barclays has a 1-year low of $8.29 and a 1-year high of $15.65.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Barclays will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.2737 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays's payout ratio is presently 16.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th.

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.