Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 576.67.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Barclays from GBX 590 to GBX 600 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 570 target price on shares of Barclays in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 620 price target on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Barclays from GBX 510 to GBX 500 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Barclays from GBX 610 to GBX 620 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th.

Barclays Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BARC opened at GBX 428.55 on Friday. Barclays has a 12 month low of GBX 353.55 and a 12 month high of GBX 538.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is GBX 486.73 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 470.07. The stock has a market capitalization of £57.22 billion, a PE ratio of 8.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.87.

Barclays (LON:BARC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported GBX 30.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 10.11% and a net margin of 25.61%. Equities research analysts predict that Barclays will post 39.1062802 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Barclays

Here are the key news stories impacting Barclays this week:

• Positive Sentiment: An investor analysis characterized Barclays as a stronger, more diversified bank trading at a discount ahead of its third-quarter results. The thesis highlights potential upside from improving profitability, capital returns, and valuation if the bank delivers solid results. Barclays Heading Into Q3: A Stronger Bank At A Discount
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays was selected as one of six lead managers for the UK Treasury’s planned blockchain-based digital gilt pilot, scheduled for 2027. The mandate could provide modest fee income and reinforce Barclays’ role in UK capital markets and digital-finance infrastructure. Barclays, Lloyds among 6 lead managers appointed for UK digital gilt, DIGIT
• Neutral Sentiment: Convictions of former Barclays traders involved in historical interest-rate rigging cases were quashed. The decision may reduce residual legal and reputational concerns, but the cases are old and appear unlikely to materially change current earnings. Ex-Barclays traders’ rate-rigging convictions quashed
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays launched a £600 switching bonus and other customer-payment promotions. These offers may support customer acquisition and deposits, but they also increase near-term marketing and incentive costs, creating a small potential drag on retail-banking margins. Barclays launches £600 switching bonus

Insider Activity at Barclays

In other news, insider Brian Shea purchased 2,393 shares of Barclays stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 497 per share, for a total transaction of £11,893.21. Also, insider Anna Cross sold 461,588 shares of Barclays stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 521, for a total value of £2,404,873.48. Insiders have purchased a total of 27,498 shares of company stock worth $13,666,506 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.34% 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. In addition, the company engages in securities dealing activities. The company was formerly known as Barclays Bank Limited and changed its name to Barclays PLC in January 1985.