Barclays (LON:BARC) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Barclays PLC (LON:BARC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as GBX 474.20 and last traded at GBX 471.43, with a volume of 138015813 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 469.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BARC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Barclays from GBX 400 to GBX 415 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating and set a GBX 500 target price on shares of Barclays in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Barclays from GBX 435 to GBX 500 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Barclays from GBX 455 to GBX 470 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 445.83.

Barclays Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 423.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 382.84. The company has a market cap of £65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.36.

Barclays (LON:BARC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 16th. The financial services provider reported GBX 24.70 earnings per share for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 6.97% and a net margin of 19.54%. Analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 39.1062802 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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. In addition, the company engages in securities dealing activities. The company was formerly known as Barclays Bank Limited and changed its name to Barclays PLC in January 1985.