Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $17.95 and last traded at $17.88, with a volume of 948484 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BCS. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

Barclays Stock Up 1.4%

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 50 day moving average is $15.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.73, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.10.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $10.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.37 billion. 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCS. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Barclays in the 4th quarter valued at $1,208,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in Barclays in the fourth quarter valued at $599,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Barclays by 75.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 55,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $670,000 after buying an additional 23,731 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,004,000. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter worth $388,000. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

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.