Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $17.64 and last traded at $17.60, with a volume of 2898223 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Barclays Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The company has a market capitalization of $63.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.10.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.04. Barclays had a net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 7.74%. The firm had revenue of $10.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.37 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BCS. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth $138,000. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Barclays by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 4,120 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Barclays by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 69,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $884,000 after acquiring an additional 8,877 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Barclays by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 30,879 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 3,136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% 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.