Barclays (NYSE:BCS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCS opened at $20.06 on Thursday. Barclays has a 52 week low of $12.14 and a 52 week high of $27.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.02. The company has a market cap of $69.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.76, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.45.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.23 billion. Barclays had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 21.91%. Research analysts predict that Barclays will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Barclays by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Barclays by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 42,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Barclays by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 14,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. grew its holdings in Barclays by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 122,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,129,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Barclays by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Barclays Company Profile

Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) is a British multinational bank and financial services company headquartered in London. The firm provides a broad range of banking and financial products to individual, corporate and institutional customers. Its core activities span retail and business banking, credit cards and payments, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.

In retail and business banking, Barclays offers deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and business loans, and card services.