Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Boosts Stake in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,938 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Barclays were worth $2,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas raised Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of BCS opened at $15.42 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $15.32 and a 200 day moving average of $13.79. Barclays PLC has a twelve month low of $8.95 and a twelve month high of $16.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.89%.

Barclays 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.