Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Rating Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock.

Barclays Price Performance

Barclays stock opened at $14.28 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $51.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.41. Barclays has a one year low of $7.07 and a one year high of $14.29. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Barclays will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays in the third quarter valued at about $52,335,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Barclays by 286.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,565,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,315,000 after buying an additional 2,641,608 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Barclays by 190.9% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,661,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,210,000 after buying an additional 2,402,500 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Barclays by 118.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,709,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,017,000 after buying an additional 1,470,523 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duquesne Family Office LLC increased its position in Barclays by 97.4% during the second quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 2,075,455 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,228,000 after buying an additional 1,024,100 shares in the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.