First National Trust Co Purchases 80,580 Shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

First National Trust Co increased its position in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 69.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 196,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 80,580 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Barclays were worth $2,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Barclays during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Barclays in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Barclays during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Barclays by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on BCS shares. BNP Paribas raised Barclays from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Barclays from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Barclays Trading Up 4.5 %

NYSE BCS opened at $15.71 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $56.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.38. Barclays PLC has a twelve month low of $8.95 and a twelve month high of $16.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The business’s fifty day moving average is $14.79 and its 200 day moving average is $13.43.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. Barclays had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 20.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Barclays PLC will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.2737 per share. This represents a yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from Barclays’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Barclays’s payout ratio is presently 28.80%.

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.