Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 53,600,218 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 203% from the previous session’s volume of 17,661,973 shares.The stock last traded at $15.41 and had previously closed at $15.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Barclays Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $55.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.40. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $14.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.08.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders 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 is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in 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 valued at $88,789,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,912 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Barclays by 11.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,432,007 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,149,000 after buying an additional 667,498 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Barclays by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,059,544 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,401 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Barclays by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 5,930,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,816,000 after acquiring an additional 484,497 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Barclays by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,635,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,901,000 after purchasing an additional 505,351 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.