4 Best European Bank Stocks to Buy Now

2. Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16

Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) provides various financial products and services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through two segments: Barclays UK and Barclays International. As of May 24, Credit Suisse analyst Omar Keenan has a 245 GBP price target and a buy-side Outperform rating on the London-based bank.

As of July 5, Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) has a trailing-twelve-month PE ratio of 4.30 and a forward yield of 4.32%, two salient features that justified its inclusion among the best European stocks to buy now.

Hedge funds are raising their stakes in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) and the hedge fund sentiment around the stock is positive. At the close of Q1 2022, 16 hedge funds were long Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) with stakes worth $121.35 million. This is compared to 11 positions a quarter ago with stakes worth $86.80 million.

In the first quarter of 2022, Masters Capital Management raised its stakes in Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) by 25%, bringing them to $39.50 million. As of March 31, Masters Capital Management owns 5 million shares of the bank and is the largest shareholder in the company.