Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.94, but opened at $15.01. Barclays shares last traded at $14.88, with a volume of 3,437,933 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BCS. BNP Paribas raised Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $54.44 billion, a PE ratio of 8.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.38.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. Research analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.2737 dividend. This is an increase from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.80%.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCS. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Barclays by 485.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,680,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,789,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,912 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at about $59,373,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Barclays in the third quarter worth about $52,335,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth about $50,189,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 667.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,603,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,886,000 after buying an additional 3,133,632 shares in the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.