Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Stock Position Increased by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 182,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,911 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Barclays were worth $2,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BCS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,373,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in Barclays by 423.9% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,897,984 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,514,000 after purchasing an additional 2,344,858 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $21,514,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Barclays by 39.5% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 4,974,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,117,000 after buying an additional 1,409,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter valued at $18,606,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Price Performance

BCS stock opened at $14.69 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $15.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.60 billion, a PE ratio of 7.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. Barclays PLC has a one year low of $9.26 and a one year high of $16.34.

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

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.2737 dividend. This is an increase from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. This represents a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.89%.

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.