Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $13.18, but opened at $12.90. Barclays shares last traded at $12.84, with a volume of 1,430,191 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on BCS. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Barclays in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th.

Barclays Stock Down 4.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $46.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $12.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 16.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given 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 dividend yield of 3.6%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.64%.

Institutional Trading of Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BCS. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Barclays by 8.6% in the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 60,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 4,821 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays during the third quarter worth $217,000. Modera Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Barclays during the third quarter valued at $156,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Barclays in the 3rd quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in Barclays by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 27,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares during the period. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Barclays Company Profile

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.