Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.94, but opened at $15.01. Barclays shares last traded at $14.88, with a volume of 3,437,933 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BCS. StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Trading Down 6.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $14.59 and its 200-day moving average is $13.34. The firm has a market cap of $53.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last issued its earnings results 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.2737 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Barclays in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Barclays by 135.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.