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How to buy Barclays shares | 117.9p
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As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many leading stocks have suffered significant falls in 2020. Investors looking for promising stock may consider the current Barclays share price to be a good investing opportunity. Barclays Bank PLC (LON: BARC) is one of the UK’s “Big Four” banks and part of the FTSE 100.
How to buy shares in Barclays
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: BARC in this case.
- Research Barclays shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your Barclays shares. It's that simple.
What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in Barclays?
- Has coronavirus impacted Barclays shares?
- Barclays shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is Barclays stock a buy or sell?
- Barclays performance over time
- Is Barclays suitable for ethical investing?
- Are Barclays shares over-valued?
- Barclays's financials
- How volatile are Barclays shares?
- Does Barclays pay a dividend?
- Have Barclays shares ever split?
- Other common questions
How has Coronavirus impacted Barclays's share price?
Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, Barclays's share price has had significant negative movement.
Its last market close was 114.96p, which is 36.00% down on its pre-crash value of 179.62p and 57.39% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as 73.04p.
If you had bought £1,000 worth of Barclays shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth £499.17 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth £677.51.
Barclays share price
Use our graph to track the performance of BARC stocks over time.Barclays shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-07-02.
| Open | 115.06p |
|---|---|
| High | 119.5404p |
| Low | 113.9p |
| Close | 117.9p |
| Previous close | 113.54p |
| Change | 4.36p |
| Change % | 3.84% |
| Volume | 49,306,696 |
Information last updated 2020-08-02.
| 52-week range | 73.04p - 192.99p |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | 108.1959p |
| 200-day moving average | 121.214p |
| Wall St. target price | 221.84p |
| PE ratio | 15.2404 |
| Dividend yield | 0.09p (3.47%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | 6p |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
Is it a good time to buy Barclays stock?
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Barclays price performance over time
Historical closes compared with the last close of 117.9p
| 1 week (2020-08-03) | N/A |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2020-07-14) | -1.22% |
| 3 months (2020-05-14) | 21.37% |
| 6 months (2020-02-10) | N/A |
| 1 year (2019-08-10) | N/A |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2018-08-10) | N/A |
| 3 years (2017-08-10) | N/A |
| 5 years (2015-08-10) | N/A |
Is Barclays under- or over-valued?
Valuing Barclays stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Barclays's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Barclays's P/E ratio
Barclays's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 15x. In other words, Barclays shares trade at around 15x recent earnings.
That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the FTSE 250 at the end of September 2019 (19.71). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.
However, Barclays's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the banks—diversified industry or those of similar companies.
- Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 65.51
- Metro Bank (MTRO.LSE): 15.04
- Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 8.03
Barclays's PEG ratio
Barclays's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.7905. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Barclays's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
However, it's sensible to consider Barclays's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.
Barclays financials
| Revenue TTM | £17.8 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 25.47% |
| Gross profit TTM | £19.7 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 0.16% |
| Return on equity TTM | 2.96% |
| Profit margin | 11.05% |
| Book value | 3.946p |
| Market capitalisation | £17.4 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Barclays's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Barclays.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Barclays's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 32.32
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Barclays's overall score of 32.32 (as at 07/01/2020) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 63rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Barclays is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
To gain some more context, you can compare Barclays's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.
- Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 31.91
- Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 37.65
Barclays's environmental score
Environmental score: 0.47/100
Barclays's environmental score of 0.47 puts it squarely in the 2nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Barclays is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Barclays's social score
Social score: 11.59/100
Barclays's social score of 11.59 puts it squarely in the 2nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Barclays is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Barclays's governance score
Governance score: 14.75/100
Barclays's governance score puts it squarely in the 2nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Barclays is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Barclays's controversy score
Controversy score: 4/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Barclays scored a 4 out of 5 for controversy – the second-lowest score possible, reflecting that Barclays has a damaged public profile.
Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Barclays PLC was last rated for ESG on: 2020-07-01.
| Total ESG score | 32.32 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 62.68 |
| Environmental score | 0.47 |
| Environmental score percentile | 2 |
| Social score | 11.59 |
| Social score percentile | 2 |
| Governance score | 14.75 |
| Governance score percentile | 2 |
| Level of controversy | 4 |
Barclays share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 45.37% of net profits
Recently Barclays has paid out, on average, around 45.37% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 3.47% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Barclays shareholders could enjoy a 3.47% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Barclays's case, that would currently equate to about 0.09p per share.
While Barclays's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Barclays may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 27 February 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
Barclays's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 46.67%
- Metro Bank (MTRO.LSE): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
- Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 60.89%
Have Barclays's shares ever split?
Barclays's shares were split on a 4:1 basis on 29 April 2002. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 4 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Barclays shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 75% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Barclays shares which in turn could have impacted Barclays's share price.
Barclays share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Barclays's shares have ranged in value from as little as 73.04p up to 192.99p. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (LSE average) beta is 1, while Barclays's is 1.2302. This would suggest that Barclays's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).
To put Barclays's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.
- Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 1.0872
- Metro Bank (MTRO.LSE): 1.4925
- Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 1.4849
Barclays overview
Barclays PLC, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in the United Kingdom, other European countries, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through Barclays UK and Barclays International divisions. It offers financial services, such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services. The company also engages in securities dealing activities; and issues credit cards. The company was formerly known as Barclays Bank Limited and changed its name to Barclays PLC in January 1985. Barclays PLC was founded in 1690 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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