MQS Management LLC Purchases Shares of 18,536 Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 18,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $199,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Barclays during the second quarter worth about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays by 71.8% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,524 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Barclays by 51.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Barclays Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BCS opened at $12.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.12, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. Barclays PLC has a one year low of $6.23 and a one year high of $12.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.78.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. Barclays had a net margin of 16.83% and a return on equity of 5.94%. The company had revenue of $7.98 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $0.2684 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a yield of 3.6%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BCS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on Barclays in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.