Cannell & Spears LLC Reduces Position in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Cannell & Spears LLC lowered its stake in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 35.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,975 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 10,935 shares during the period. Cannell & Spears LLC’s holdings in Barclays were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Barclays in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in Barclays by 135.5% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Barclays in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Barclays Trading Up 0.4 %

Barclays stock opened at $15.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a PE ratio of 8.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. Barclays PLC has a 12 month low of $8.95 and a 12 month high of $16.34. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.2737 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s payout ratio is currently 29.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on BCS shares. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.