Stock fact sheet · data as of
Barclays PLC (BCS): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol BCS · Financial Services · Banks - Diversified · United Kingdom · ADR · Value
BCS is an American depositary share (ADR): the US listing of Barclays PLC, whose own shares trade on its home exchange. It trades in dollars during US hours; currency moves and the home country's rules also affect it, and the depositary bank charges a small yearly fee.
Is BCS undervalued?
BCS has a margin of safety of 82%: the stock closed at 23.70 on 5 Nov 2026 against a GLS average fair value of 130.70. 8 of the 9 valuation models that produced a number sit above the price. Our scans treat a discount this large as a strong starting point for a cash-secured put, not as a verdict - the fair value is a model output, and a wide gap can mean the models are missing something the market knows.
The 9 models disagree widely: DDM gives 9.37 while 10 Cap gives 412.42. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, BCS is clearly cheaper than it is fast-growing, so the nightly engine files it under Value (value score 86, growth score 35, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for BCS
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 120.33 | +408% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 47.84 | +102% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 125.16 | +428% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 50.14 | +112% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 108.98 | +360% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 412.42 | +1640% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 265.84 | +1022% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 9.37 | -60% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 36.24 | +53% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -424.27 | -1890% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 20.00 | -16% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - BCS passes 6 of the nine Piotroski tests, which passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is low at 2.9 out of 10: returns on capital, margins or the balance sheet have not shown a lasting edge yet - often a young company, a thin-margin business or one that has only recently turned profitable.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 2.4%, ROE 9.2%, ROA 0.5% - with debt at 2.83 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 81.8%. Debt of 2.83 times equity is on the high side for the sector and is worth checking against the cash flow before treating the stock as a long-term hold.
The dividend yield is 2.69% at a payout ratio of 28%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold.
Institutional ownership scores 1/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 6 / 9 | ROIC | 2.4% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 2.9 / 10 | ROE | 9.2% |
| Debt / equity | 2.83 | ROA | 0.5% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 81.8% | Payout ratio | 28% |
| Institutions | 1 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 5 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 80: Good
BCS scores 80 out of 100 on the Wheel Score (Good band, 70-84): it passes all 9 Wheel Trade Filters. How it ranks: value strong, premium strong, moat weak, health good, red flags fair, option trading fair, stability strong; Moat (weak) holds it back.
Implied volatility is 33% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: enough to pass the 25-80% Wheel Trade Filter, but under the 35-60% sweet spot the score rewards most. Chain open interest is 42,927 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 6.9M shares a day on a market cap of $79.8B, with a beta of 0.88; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that strong.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 82% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 33% | |
| Moat | Weak | moat 2.9/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 6/9 | |
| Red Flags | Fair | Red Flags score 75/100 | |
| Option trading | Fair | 1,287 contracts a day, 42,927 open interest | |
| Stability | Strong | beta 0.88, $79.8B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for BCS in the nightly calendar.
Analysts downgraded BCS 1 time in the last 30 days with no upgrades; the latest action was new coverage by Barclays on 26 Oct 2026.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Banks - Diversified
The 12 companies below are the closest to Barclays PLC by market cap within the Banks - Diversified industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ING ING Groep N.V. | 32.84 | 49.94 | +34% | 43Weak | $93.4B |
| SMFG Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. | 24.63 | 71.08 | +65% | 48Weak | $95.4B |
| CM Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | 119.87 | 131.01 | +9% | 71Good | $108.8B |
| BNS The Bank of Nova Scotia | 96.43 | 136.01 | +29% | 47Weak | $117.5B |
| BMO Bank of Montreal | 177.47 | 317.92 | +44% | 81Good | $123.4B |
| BBVA Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. | 25.47 | 52.66 | +52% | 49Weak | $140.8B |
| UBS UBS Group AG | 50.67 | 77.43 | +35% | 80Good | $155.1B |
| SAN Banco Santander, S.A. | 12.07 | 38.86 | +69% | 48Weak | $179.8B |
| C Citigroup Inc. | 124.75 | 174.18 | +28% | 52Fair | $209.3B |
| TD The Toronto-Dominion Bank | 128.20 | 133.06 | +4% | 70Good | $216.6B |
| BAP Credicorp Ltd. | 359.21 | 586.71 | +39% | 53Fair | $28.5B |
| MUFG Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. | 21.97 | 30.73 | +29% | 87Prime | $248.2B |
⚖ Compare BCS with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about BCS
Is BCS undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 23.70 the stock is 82% below the average fair value of 130.70 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of BCS and what does it mean?
BCS scores 80 out of 100 (Good). The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for BCS?
130.70 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Barclays PLC report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for BCS in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does BCS have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 80 listed contracts with 42,927 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 33% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.
Is BCS an ADR?
Yes. BCS is an American depositary share (ADR): the US listing of Barclays PLC, whose own shares trade on its home exchange. It trades in dollars during US hours; currency moves and the home country's rules also affect it, and the depositary bank charges a small yearly fee.