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

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 23,190,000 shares, an increase of 91.3% from the February 28th total of 12,120,000 shares. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 19,750,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Barclays Stock Down 2.9 %

NYSE:BCS traded down $0.47 on Friday, hitting $15.42. 14,271,066 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,832,257. The company has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a PE ratio of 8.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. Barclays has a 1 year low of $8.95 and a 1 year high of $16.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $15.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.72.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Barclays will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This is a boost from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 2.7%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.89%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BCS. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Barclays by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 9,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Covenant Partners LLC grew its position in Barclays by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 102,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,358,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its stake in shares of Barclays by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 46,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $623,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Barclays by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 48,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Barclays by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 40,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Barclays presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.