Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Up 35.0% in January

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,460,000 shares, an increase of 35.0% from the December 31st total of 8,490,000 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 11,350,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BCS. StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of BCS stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $14.78. 502,502 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,837,393. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $53.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.41. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $13.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.63. Barclays has a twelve month low of $7.07 and a twelve month high of $14.92.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,335,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Barclays by 286.1% during the third 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 during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Barclays by 3,073.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 689,413 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,052,000 after purchasing an additional 667,687 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 11.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,432,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,149,000 after purchasing an additional 667,498 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in Barclays by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 1,990,600 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,319,000 after buying an additional 457,000 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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