Short Interest in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Declines By 9.8%

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,890,000 shares, a decrease of 9.8% from the January 15th total of 9,860,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 13,270,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Barclays Stock Up 5.0 %

NYSE BCS opened at $15.63 on Wednesday. Barclays has a 12 month low of $8.18 and a 12 month high of $15.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.92. The company has a market capitalization of $56.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. Equities research analysts expect that Barclays will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.2737 dividend. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.41%.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Barclays during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Barclays by 135.5% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Barclays in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th.

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.