Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Short Interest Up 19.1% in February

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 7,348,113 shares, a growth of 19.1% from the February 12th total of 6,167,567 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 8,164,690 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 8,164,690 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Barclays Price Performance

Shares of BCS stock traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $21.13. The company had a trading volume of 8,123,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,429,123. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.45, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.22, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.95. Barclays has a 12 month low of $12.14 and a 12 month high of $27.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $25.07 and its 200 day moving average is $23.05.

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.04. Barclays had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 21.91%.The business had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.23 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Barclays will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Barclays Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $0.3069 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 236.0%. Barclays’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barclays

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Barclays in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Barclays during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Barclays in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Advocate Investing Services LLC acquired a new position in Barclays in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Barclays from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Barclays in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Barclays has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Barclays

Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) is a British multinational bank and financial services company headquartered in London. The firm provides a broad range of banking and financial products to individual, corporate and institutional customers. Its core activities span retail and business banking, credit cards and payments, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.

In retail and business banking, Barclays offers deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and business loans, and card services.