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

StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

BCS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Kepler Capital Markets began coverage on Barclays in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Barclays Stock Performance

BCS opened at $13.48 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67. The stock has a market cap of $49.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.17 and a beta of 1.41. Barclays has a 12-month low of $6.58 and a 12-month high of $13.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $12.23 and a 200-day moving average of $11.50.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Barclays will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barclays by 1,362.1% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 19,682,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $210,762,000 after purchasing an additional 18,335,937 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in Barclays by 11.9% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,007,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,690,000 after purchasing an additional 426,815 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Barclays by 190.9% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,661,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,210,000 after buying an additional 2,402,500 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Barclays by 118.7% in 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 in the last quarter. 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.