Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Update

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,460,000 shares, a growth of 35.0% from the December 15th total of 8,490,000 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 11,350,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Barclays Stock Up 2.0 %

BCS stock opened at $14.28 on Friday. Barclays has a fifty-two week low of $7.07 and a fifty-two week high of $14.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.31 and a 200-day moving average of $12.42. The company has a market capitalization of $51.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.67, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last posted 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 during the quarter. Barclays had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 6.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Barclays will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barclays

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCS. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter valued at $1,208,000. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in Barclays by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 30,879 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 3,136 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Barclays by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 69,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $884,000 after buying an additional 8,877 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Barclays by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 30,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 4,120 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BCS shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Barclays in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

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.