Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BCS opened at $14.03 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.40. Barclays has a fifty-two week low of $7.07 and a fifty-two week high of $14.07. The company has a market capitalization of $50.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54, a P/E/G 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 17.83%. The company had revenue of $8.52 billion during the quarter. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. Analysts expect that Barclays will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Barclays during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. purchased a new position in Barclays in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Barclays by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Barclays by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,774 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

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.