Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Update

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,270,000 shares, a decline of 25.5% from the March 15th total of 23,190,000 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 20,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on BCS shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Barclays from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCS traded up $0.01 on Thursday, hitting $15.65. The company had a trading volume of 7,289,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,592,713. The stock has a market cap of $56.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. Barclays has a 1-year low of $10.14 and a 1-year high of $16.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.02.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that Barclays will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Barclays during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in Barclays in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 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.