Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $14.27, but opened at $14.70. Barclays shares last traded at $14.87, with a volume of 1,151,306 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BCS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $15.13 and a 200-day moving average of $13.91. The stock has a market cap of $53.10 billion, a PE ratio of 8.05, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 7.74%. 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BCS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,678 shares during the last quarter. 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.