Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Shares Bought by Guggenheim Capital LLC

Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS - Free Report) by 165.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 29,360 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Barclays were worth $626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Barclays in the 3rd quarter worth about $120,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Barclays by 981.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 277,243 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,424,000 after acquiring an additional 251,613 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 47.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,668 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,388 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in Barclays by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 53,920 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348 shares in the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered 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 analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Barclays presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE BCS traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $15.95. 9,366,600 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,515,353. The company has a market cap of $57.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $15.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. Barclays PLC has a one year low of $10.15 and a one year high of $16.34.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.2737 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Barclays's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays's payout ratio is 29.89%.

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.