Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Acquires 118,967 Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 187.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 182,483 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 118,967 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Barclays were worth $2,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Barclays in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 135.5% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCS opened at $15.23 on Wednesday. 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 PLC has a 12 month low of $9.55 and a 12 month high of $16.34. The company has a market capitalization of $54.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.09 and its 200 day moving average is $14.01.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 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%. Research analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on BCS shares. BNP Paribas raised shares of Barclays from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut Barclays from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.

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