Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $15.70 and last traded at $15.74, with a volume of 4660305 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Barclays Trading Up 2.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $57.06 billion, a PE ratio of 8.58, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.11.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.2737 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Barclays in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Barclays in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised 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 buying an additional 1,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

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.