Independent Advisor Alliance Makes New Investment in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $349,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 31,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the period. D Orazio & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Barclays by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 36,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $566,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the period. Covenant Partners LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 102,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,358,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Barclays by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 48,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Barclays by 3.0% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 31,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Barclays Stock Performance

Shares of BCS stock opened at $20.27 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $18.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.78. Barclays PLC has a 52 week low of $11.22 and a 52 week high of $20.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.57 billion, a PE ratio of 9.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.70.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.12. Barclays had a net margin of 22.11% and a return on equity of 8.49%. The firm had revenue of $9.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.06 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.1557 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. Barclays’s payout ratio is currently 14.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup cut shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays 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.