Kepler Capital Markets Begins Coverage on Barclays (NYSE:BCS)

Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Barclays from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCS opened at $11.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.55. Barclays has a fifty-two week low of $6.23 and a fifty-two week high of $12.49. The company has a market cap of $42.79 billion, a PE ratio of 8.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.43.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $7.98 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 16.83%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Barclays will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.2684 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC lifted its holdings in Barclays by 14.8% in the 1st quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 1,069,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,111,000 after acquiring an additional 138,064 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its position in Barclays by 103.1% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 188,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 95,474 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 335.5% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 361,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,847,000 after purchasing an additional 278,353 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the second quarter worth approximately $559,000. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the first quarter worth approximately $947,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by 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.