Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Shares Acquired by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,116,740 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,073 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Barclays were worth $14,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BCS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Barclays by 33.4% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 21,726 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 5,439 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 30,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,349 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 48.6% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 35,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 1,115.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 19,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after buying an additional 17,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in Barclays by 5.5% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 27,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of BCS opened at $15.17 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $14.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.05. The stock has a market cap of $54.68 billion, a PE ratio of 8.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.41. Barclays PLC has a 1-year low of $8.32 and a 1-year high of $15.65. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.2737 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 currently 16.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th.

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.