Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Raised to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Kepler Capital Markets assumed coverage on Barclays in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

Barclays Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE BCS opened at $13.08 on Thursday. Barclays has a 52 week low of $7.07 and a 52 week high of $13.83. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67. The firm has a market cap of $47.19 billion, a PE ratio of 8.90 and a beta of 1.41.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $8.52 billion for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 17.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.42 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Barclays will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,647,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates acquired a new position in Barclays during the third quarter valued at $3,276,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Barclays by 11.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,007,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,690,000 after purchasing an additional 426,815 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 2nd quarter worth about $235,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 268,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after buying an additional 44,760 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Barclays Company 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.