Brandes Investment Partners LP Reduces Holdings in Barclays PLC

Brandes Investment Partners LP has lowered its stake in shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, as reported in its latest Form 13F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. After selling 108,223 shares during this period, the fund now holds 1,264,409 shares of the financial services provider.

As per the recent filing, the value of Brandes Investment Partners LP's holdings in Barclays amounts to approximately $16.80 million.

Recent Investments in Barclays

Other institutional investors have also made moves regarding Barclays shares. For instance, Brooklyn Investment Group invested $26,000 in Barclays during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management made a similar move with a $33,000 investment. Furthermore, Sierra Ocean LLC and Versant Capital Management Inc contributed $38,000 and $44,000, respectively, to new positions in Barclays.

Additionally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Barclays by 36.8%, now owning 3,762 shares valued at around $50,000 after acquiring an extra 1,011 shares last quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 3.39% of Barclays' stock.

Barclays Stock Overview

On the last trading day, the shares of Barclays (BCS) opened at $15.71. The stock has ranged between a low of $8.95 and a high of $16.33 over the past year. Currently, Barclays has a market capitalization of $56.62 billion. It exhibits a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 8.54 and a P/E to growth (P/E/G) ratio of 0.39.

Recent Earnings and Dividends

Barclays recently announced its quarterly earnings on February 18, revealing earnings per share (EPS) of $0.34, surpassing estimates of $0.19 by $0.15. The company reported a net margin of 20.81% and a return on equity of 7.74%. Analysts forecast that Barclays will post an EPS of 2 for the current fiscal year.

Additionally, Barclays disclosed a semi-annual dividend that is set to be paid on April 4. Shareholders of record on February 28 will receive a dividend of $0.2737 per share, marking a dividend yield of 2.7%, slightly up from the previous rate of $0.27. The company's dividend payout ratio currently sits at 28.80%.

Analyst Ratings

Several analysts have recently evaluated Barclays' stock. BNP Paribas upgraded Barclays from a 'neutral' to an 'outperform' rating on March 4, while StockNews.com downgraded the stock from 'buy' to 'hold' on February 27. Presently, one analyst has given the stock a hold rating, while four have rated it as a buy, resulting in an average rating of "Moderate Buy" according to MarketBeat.com.

Company Overview

Barclays PLC provides a range of financial services across various regions, including the UK, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It operates through its divisions: Barclays UK and Barclays International, offering services such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, and wealth management.

Stocks, Investment, Barclays