Insider Buying: Barclays (LON:BARC) Insider Buys 7,604 Shares

Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) insider Nigel Higgins bought 7,604 shares of Barclays stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 497 per share, with a total value of £37,791.88.

Barclays Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of BARC traded up GBX 17.55 during trading on Thursday, reaching GBX 510.90. 2,147,000,000 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 65,799,859. The stock has a market cap of £68.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.88. Barclays PLC has a twelve month low of GBX 352.65 and a twelve month high of GBX 538.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 492.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 459.04.

Barclays (LON:BARC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported GBX 30.70 EPS for the quarter. Barclays had a return on equity of 10.11% and a net margin of 19.41%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Barclays PLC will post 39.1062802 EPS for the current year.

More Barclays News

Here are the key news stories impacting Barclays this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and investment-banking performance: Barclays reported a 17% rise in first-half profits, driven by stronger dealmaking and financial-markets activity. The performance helped offset higher provisions for potential bad debts and reinforced confidence in the bank’s earnings momentum. Barclays Profits Jump 17% Due to Rise in Dealmaking
• Positive Sentiment: £1 billion share buyback: Barclays launched a program to repurchase up to £1 billion of shares, a capital-return measure expected to reduce the share count and support earnings per share and investor returns. Barclays Launches £1bn Share Buy-back to Cut Capital and Lift Returns
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: Deutsche Bank and Jefferies reaffirmed “buy” ratings with targets of GBX 570 and GBX 590, while JPMorgan raised its target to GBX 610 and Berenberg maintained a GBX 620 target. These targets imply continued upside, although Citi’s “neutral” rating and GBX 510 target signal more limited near-term valuation support.
• Positive Sentiment: Director share purchases: Barclays disclosed acquisitions by its group chairman and non-executive directors, funded through director fees. While relatively small compared with the buyback, the purchases provide a modest insider-confidence signal. Barclays Directors Boost Holdings Through Fee-Funded Share Purchases
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt-program prospectus updated: Barclays published a supplement to its debt issuance prospectus. The filing supports funding flexibility but does not, by itself, change the investment outlook materially. Barclays Updates Prospectus for Debt Issuance Programme
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and policy risks remain: Commentary has questioned whether Barclays’ valuation fully reflects the earnings improvement. Separately, calls for higher taxes on UK banks and Barclays’ larger bonus pool could increase political and cost pressures.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Barclays from GBX 505 to GBX 510 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Barclays from GBX 575 to GBX 550 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 590 target price on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 620 price target on shares of Barclays in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 570 target price on shares of Barclays in a research note on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 575.

About Barclays

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.