How to buy Barclays (BARC) shares

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.

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How has coronavirus impacted Barclays's share price?

Since the stock market crash that started in February 2020, Barclays's share price has had significant positive movement.

Its last market close was 183.1p, which is 1.90% up on its pre-crash value of 179.62p and 150.68% up on the lowest point reached during the March 2020 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 £1,079.08.

Barclays share price (LSE:BARC)

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Fees for buying 100x Barclays shares with popular platforms

Share prices fluctuate in real time, so the costs presented here should be considered as a guide only. They do not incorporate stamp duty. Always refer to the platform itself for availability and pricing – which may differ from our information.

Platform	Platform fee	Min. initial deposit	Trading fee estimate
	£0	$200	£0.00 £173.36 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	No minimum	£0.00 £173.36 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£0.01	£1.77 £175.13 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£1	£11.95 £185.31 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£9.99 per month	No minimum	£7.99 £181.35 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	No minimum	£0.00 £173.36 total	Read review Capital at risk
	£36 per year	£20	£9.50 £182.86 total	Read review Capital at risk

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Is it a good time to buy Barclays stock?

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.

Is Barclays under- or over-valued?

Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value.

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 7x. In other words, Barclays shares trade at around 7x 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): 17.11
• Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 11.00

PEG ratio

Barclays's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 0.2918. A PEG ratio below 1 can be interpreted as meaning the shares are not overvalued given the current rate of growth.

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.

• Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 0.25
• Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 0.68

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.

Total ESG risk score

Barclays's total ESG risk: 30.07

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Barclays's overall score of 30.07 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 62nd 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): 29.76
• Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 36.47

Environmental score

Barclays's environmental score: 0.02/100

Barclays's environmental score of 0.02 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.

Social score

Barclays's social score: 14.24/100

Barclays's social score of 14.24 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.

Governance score

Barclays's governance score: 14.85/100

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.

Controversy score

Barclays's controversy score: 4/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, 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.

• Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 3
• Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 3

Barclays share dividends

• Dividend yield
• Forward yield
• Payout ratio

Barclays has recently paid out dividends equivalent to 1.74% of its share value annually.

Barclays has paid out, on average, around 19.11% of recent net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 1.74% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), shareholders could enjoy a 1.74% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Barclays's case, that would currently equate to about 3p per share.

While Barclays's payout ratio might seem low, this can signify that the company is investing more in its future growth.

The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 24 February 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").

Barclays's dividend yield is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.

• Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.LSE): 1.28% (1.22% forward annual dividend yield)
• Metro Bank (MTRO.LSE): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
• Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 1.20% (0.9% forward annual dividend yield)

Have Barclays's shares ever split?

Barclays's shares were split on a 4:1 basis on 28 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.

Share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Barclays's shares have ranged in value from as little as 88.8946p up to 190.58p. 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 1.4314. This would suggest that Barclays's shares are more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a 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): 1.4162
• Metro Bank (MTRO.LSE): 2.6667
• Banco Santander S-A (BNC.LSE): 1.7485

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Barclays overview

Barclays is a British multinational bank and financial services company, and one of the "Big Four" British banks. It offers a large range of financial products, including personal loans, credit cards, and bank accounts, as well as mortgages and share dealing.

Originally founded in London in 1690, Barclays soon grew to be one the most powerful banks in the UK, and deployed the world's first cash machine (ATM) in 1967. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange, and a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

Today, Barclays is organised into two separate divisions - Corporate, Investment Banking, Wealth and Investment Management, and Retail and Business Banking, with branches in more than 50 countries.

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Frequently asked questions

• Where can I buy Barclays Bank (BARC) shares?

  You can buy Barclays (BARC) shares on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BARC) in the UK, and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BARC) in the US. Anyone that has a trading account with a broker or trading platform that offers access to the UK or US stock markets can buy and sell Barclays shares.

• What affects the Barclays (LON: BARC) share price?

  There are a range of factors affecting the Barclays share price, including the company's financial performance and future prospects, as well as the performance of the banking sector in general. As part of the FTSE 100 Index, the Barclays share price may also follow wider stock market trends.

• Should I buy Barclays shares now?

  The price of Barclays shares dropped during the coronavirus stock market crash, and the BARC share price is now at similar levels to where it was following the 2008 global financial crisis. Investors looking to buy Barclays shares will need to evaluate how the company is likely to fare in the current economic climate. If you believe Barclays is well-positioned to succeed in future, you may believe the current Barclays share price represents a good investment.

• What percentage of Barclays is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.395% of Barclays shares are held by insiders and 58.248% by institutions.

• How many people work for Barclays?

  Latest data suggests 83,000 work at Barclays.

• When does the fiscal year end for Barclays?

  Barclays's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is Barclays based?

  Barclays's address is: 1 Churchill Place, London, United Kingdom, E14 5HP

• What is Barclays's ISIN number?

  Barclays's international securities identification number is: GB0031348658