Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $25.29 and last traded at $25.2450, with a volume of 2908247 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $25.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BCS. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $89.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.81, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s 50 day moving average is $22.16 and its 200 day moving average is $20.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.94.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $9.21 billion for the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 8.19%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCS. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Barclays in the second quarter worth $27,000. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays by 2,673.6% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417 shares during the last quarter. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Barclays in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Barclays Company Profile

Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) is a British multinational bank and financial services company headquartered in London. The firm provides a broad range of banking and financial products to individual, corporate and institutional customers. Its core activities span retail and business banking, credit cards and payments, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.

In retail and business banking, Barclays offers deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and business loans, and card services.