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. Barclays PLC was founded in 1690 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Barclays PLC

Key Points
An analyst raised his price target on the Chinese tech sector incumbent by 31%.
He believes its cloud unit will continue to be a star performer.
Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) had a fruitful and bullish Tuesday on the stock exchange, with its U.S.-listed American depositary receipts (ADRs) rising on the back of a meaningful analyst price-target hike. With that, Albaba stock closed that trading session 4% higher, handily beating the 0.3% increase of the S&P 500 index.
A 31% boost
Well before market open that day, Barclays's (NYSE: BCS) Jiong Shao lifted his Alibaba fair value assessment to $190 per ADR. That was significantly higher than his preceding price target of $145. Shao maintained his overweight (read: buy) recommendation on the Chinese tech giant.
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According to reports, the basis for Shao's bullish move is Alibaba's mighty cloud computing unit. The prognosticator pointed out that this business alone saw revenue growth of 26% year over year in the company's recently reported second quarter. He firmly believes that figure can go higher, and management will be able to maintain its profit margins.
At first glance, that quarter was a disappointing one for Alibaba, as the company missed the consensus analyst estimates for both revenue and profitability. However, there was much for investors to like, such as the performance of that cloud unit and encouraging growth in e-commerce.
A bunch of price target bumps and an upgrade
Even after that Q2 double miss, analysts are generally bullish on Alibaba's future. Like Shao, a clutch of them raised their price targets on the veteran company after earnings with one analyst (Arete's Zixiao Yang) upgrading their recommendation to buy from the previous neutral, at a price target of $152 per ADR.
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Why Alibaba Stock Pumped Higher Today

In order to expand its affluent client base, Bank of America’s BAC subsidiary, Bank of America Private Bank, has introduced the Alts Expanded Access Program in collaboration with Merrill Wealth Management. This program will be available in fall 2025, specifically to ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients with a net worth of $50 million or more.
This program offers greater diversification benefits and complements the existing Alternative Investments platform. The key features include tailored access to emerging themes, supported recommendations, and client-directed due diligence.
Bank of America has been aiming to expand its market share to capitalize on the rising demand for alternative assets among UHNW clients. According to a Bank of America Private Bank study in 2024, 93% of the young HNW investors plan to increase their allocation to alternatives in the coming years.
In January 2025, Merril Wealth Management introduced its UHNW advisory group to offer comprehensive wealth and investment solutions for UHNW clients. Additionally, BAC launched Premium Access Strategies in 2022, a dual contract investment advisory program to cater to UHNW clients, which has grown to more than $60 billion in client assets in just three years. Furthermore, BAC announced plans to open 40 new financial centers in 2025, with an additional 70 in 2026, aiming to tap into growing markets such as UHNW.
Mark Sutterlin, head of alternative investments for Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank, stated, “This program is part of our broader commitment to meet the evolving needs of UHNW clients with increasingly complex financial goals.”
Other Major Banks Pushing for Affluent Clients
Alongside Bank of America, other major banks like Deutsche Bank DB and Barclays PLC BCS have been accelerating their plans to boost private banking and wealth management divisions to gain affluent clients.
In July 2025, Deutsche Bank announced the restructuring of its Wealth Management unit to drive growth and efficiency. As part of the restructuring, Deutsche Bank will streamline its offerings within the Wealth Management division to better serve a broad spectrum of clients, from digitally savvy individuals seeking convenient investment tools to HNW entrepreneurial families requiring complex, personalized advisory services.
In December 2024, Barclays’ CEO Sasha Wiggins shared plans to accelerate growth in its Private Banking and Wealth Management segment by increasing its headcount and hiring up to 100 advisers. “The UK is a large market with client investable assets totaling some £3.5 trillion ($4.45 trillion), split across digital investing, affluent and private banking segments,” Wiggins stated, signaling Barclays’ intent to capitalize on the rising affluent market.
BAC’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
So far this year, shares of Bank of America have gained 13.2% compared with the industry’s 22% growth.
YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, BAC trades at a price-to-tangible book ratio of 1.84, well below the industry average of 2.86.
Price-to-Tangible Book Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BAC’s 2025 and 2026 earnings indicates year-over-year growth rates of 12.2% and 16.1%, respectively. Earnings estimates have remained unchanged for both years over the past month.
Expected Earnings Growth
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, Bank of America carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock
This under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.
With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.
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BAC & Merrill Expand Private Markets Access: A Push for UHNW Clients?

A U.S. Judge has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit against 10 large banks, namely Bank of America BAC, JPMorgan JPM, Morgan Stanley MS, Citigroup C, Barclays BCS, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, NatWest and Wells Fargo.
The lawsuit alleged that BAC, JPM, MS, C and BCS conspired with five other banks to manipulate corporate bond prices at the expense of retail investors.
Details of the Lawsuit
Investors alleged that Bank of America, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Barclays, along with five other banks, earned billions of dollars by levying excessive charges on “odd-lot” trades since 2006.
Such trades are valued under $1 million or involve fewer than 1,000 bonds that are primarily corporate bonds. Investors accused the banks of wrongly charging 25% to 300% higher charges compared with larger “round-lot” trades to boost their profits, according to Reuters.
In October 2021, the case was originally dismissed by U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman. However, after a few months, he revealed that his wife held Bank of America’s shares while the case was pending, claiming that it didn’t impair his judgment on the case. In July 2024, the federal government appealed to the Manhattan court, reviving the case, stating that Liman’s conflict could call his impartiality into question.
Valerie Caproni, U.S. District Judge in Manhattan, stated that investors failed to demonstrate that the banks conspired to operate the Bond Desk, Trading Edge and Trade Web platforms or to shut out alternative platforms that promoted fairer pricing.
She further noted that, though the institutions accounted for roughly 65% of underwriting and 90% of trading in corporate bonds, this did not establish control over secondary market pricing. She also didn’t find any evidence of illegal activity in the four years preceding the April 2020 filing, a gap that undermined the case under the Sherman Antitrust Act. Caproni’s dismissal was issued with prejudice, implying that the lawsuit cannot be filed again.
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BAC, JPM, MS, C, BCS & 5 Other Big Banks Win U.S. Antitrust Lawsuit

Barclays PLC BCS has agreed to sell its stake in Entercard Group, a Nordic consumer credit joint venture (JV), to partner Swedbank AB for SEK 2.6 billion ($273 million) in cash. Completion of the deal is expected by year-end, pending regulatory approvals.
The deal price, set at Entercard’s book value as of March-end 2025, underscores Swedbank’s commitment to expanding its regional consumer finance franchise.
Capital Release From Sale to Fortify BCS’ Core Strategy
For Barclays, the disposal marks another step in its ongoing strategy to streamline operations and exit non-core markets. It follows Barclays’ April 2025 agreement with Brookfield Asset Management to spin off most of its U.K. merchant-acquiring business, reinforcing management’s focus on wholesale banking, U.S. and U.K. credit cards, and its domestic retail arm.
The Entercard sale is expected to release £900 million of risk-weighted assets, adding four basis points to BCS’ common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio.
Entercard will also repay £1.2 billion in funding currently provided by Barclays Bank, reducing the U.K. lender’s balance sheet commitments.
For Barclays, the sale is modest in size but directionally consistent with its strategy of capital discipline and refocusing on scale businesses. The incremental CET1 uplift and liquidity release will provide flexibility, albeit limited earnings impact.
Barclays Ends Two-Decade Nordic Partnership
Entercard, founded in 2005 as a JV between Barclays and Swedbank, is a leading provider of credit cards and personal loans across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. As of March 2025, the company reported total assets of SEK 36 billion and equity of SEK 5.2 billion. It serves 1.5 million customers through both proprietary and co-branded products and employs around 450 staff.
Upon the completion of the deal, Swedbank will assume full ownership, making Entercard a wholly integrated part of its operations. Despite the change in ownership, Entercard will continue to operate under its brand identity.
Barclays’ Move a Strategic Upside for Swedbank?
While the acquisition will dilute Swedbank’s CET1 ratio by approximately 30 basis points, the bank views full control of Entercard as a strategic investment. Management highlighted that the buyout cements Swedbank’s position as the largest card issuer in the Nordics and Baltics, creating scope to enhance customer offerings and accelerate digital initiatives under its “15/27” business plan.
By consolidating Entercard, Swedbank secures a scalable consumer-finance platform in its core markets, while Barclays pockets cash and redeploys capital toward higher-priority businesses.
Over the medium term, integration synergies and revenue opportunities from cross-selling may outweigh the capital hit, positioning Swedbank for stronger fee and lending growth in the region.
Barclays’ Other Business Simplification Efforts
In February 2025, BCS divested its Germany-based consumer finance business. In November 2024, it acquired Tesco’s retail banking business, which complements its existing business and strengthens its position in the market.
Moreover, last year, the company divested its Italian mortgage portfolio. It sold $1.1 billion in credit card receivables to bolster the lending capacity for Barclays Bank Delaware in the United States.
In 2023, Barclays acquired Kensington Mortgage, which bolstered its mortgage business in the U.K.. Driven by these initiatives, Barclays’ profitability is expected to improve over time.
Barclays’ Price Performance & Zacks Rank
So far this year, shares of Barclays have rallied 50.7%, outperforming the industry’s 34.8% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, BCS carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Divestitures by Other Foreign Banks
Last month, HSBC Holdings plc HSBC agreed to sell its life insurance business in the U.K., HSBC Life (UK) Limited, to Chesnara, a life and pensions consolidator, for a cash consideration of £260 million. The completion of the deal, subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected in early 2026.
The move aligns with HSBC’s broader repositioning strategy to streamline operations, focusing more on markets with strong growth potential, as highlighted by CEO Georges Elhedery in October 2024.
The sale of the life insurance business in the U.K. is, thus, the latest in a series of asset disposals by HSBC as the bank seeks to focus more on Asia.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Bank of Montreal BMO was exploring the sale of its transportation finance business, which has approximately $11 billion in assets, with an estimated valuation of $1 billion.
The potential buyers include private equity firms and private credit players. BMO had acquired this transportation finance unit from General Electric Capital Corporation in 2015, significantly expanding its commercial vehicle lending operations across the United States and Canada.
Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock
This under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.
With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Barclays to Exit Entercard JV With $273M Sale to Swedbank

Key Points
A global bank maintained its equivalent of a sell recommendation in a new research note.
It enumerated three reasons not to buy the stock.
An Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) bear weighed in on the monster tech stock Monday morning, and it seems at least a few investors were taking its latest analysis to heart. They unenthusiastically traded the company's stock that session, weakly pushing it only 0.5% higher. Meanwhile, the benchmark S&P 500 index closed the day 1.5% in positive territory.
Barclays is quite the bear
In its new Apple take, Barclays reiterated its existing underweight (read: sell) recommendation on the iDevice maker. This, despite enacting a slight raise in its price target to $180 per share from the preceding $173.
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According to reports, Barclays' continued pessimistic outlook on Apple stems from three key factors.
The first is the inherent weakness in the company's foundational hardware business. Growth in such products has been modest, and the bank's analysts pointed out that the seemingly robust growth in the company's just-reported fiscal third quarter was due to factors such as forward purchasing ahead of anticipated tariffs.
The second is China, a crucial market for Apple. Barclays believes that intensifying competition will threaten the company's market share in the sprawling Asian nation.
Concerned about regulators
Finally, the bank is wary about potential regulatory difficulties Apple might have in its Apple Services segment. With increased scrutiny and regulatory action around app marketplaces like the App Store, the company could be hit with rulings that reduce its take from this lucrative revenue stream.
Last week, Alphabet's Google suffered a notable legal defeat when its appeal against an unfavorable ruling in a case centered around its Google Play was rejected. Both regulators and courts seem to find the highly advantageous conditions of marketplaces like Google Play and the App Store distasteful.
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Eric Volkman has positions in Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Barclays Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Why Apple Stock Lagged the Market on Monday

(RTTNews) - British banking major Barclays Plc (BARC.L, BCS) reported Tuesday higher profit in its second quarter with higher income.
Further, the company announced a further 1 billion pounds share buyback and a half year dividend of 3.0p per share, higher than last year's 2.9 pence. This equates to 1.4 billion pounds of total capital distributions in respect of the first half of 2025, a 21% increase year-on-year.
Looking ahead, C. S. Venkatakrishnan, Group Chief Executive, said the company remains on track to achieve the objectives of three-year plan.
For fiscal 2025, the company projects Group net interest income excluding IB and Head Office of greater than 12.5 billion pounds, of which Barclays UK net interest income of greater than 7.6 billion pounds.
Further, for fiscal 2026, Barclays projects Group total income of around 30 billion pounds.
The company plans to return at least 10 billion pounds of capital to shareholders between 2024 and 2026, through dividends and share buybacks, with a continued preference for buybacks.
In the second quarter, profit before tax climbed 28 percent to 2.48 billion pounds from last year's 1.94 billion pounds. All divisions delivered double-digit RoTE.
Attributable profit grew 34 percent year-over-year to 1.66 billion pounds. Basic earnings per share were 11.7 pence, up from 8.3 pence last year.
Group income was 7.19 billion pounds in the quarter, up 14% from prior year's 6.32 billion pounds. Group net interest income excluding Barclays Investment Bank and Head Office of 3.1 billion pounds, up 12% year-on-year.
For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Barclays Q2 Results Climb, On Track With Targets; Plans GBP 1 Bln Buyback

Key Points
President Trump has threatened to levy tariffs of up to 200% on pharmaceutical imports.
Lilly's margins could be negatively affected if the company absorbs the higher costs.
However, any effect on Lilly should only be temporary.
The active ingredients of roughly 80% of prescription drugs sold in the U.S. are made in other countries. President Trump wants that to change.
Instead of a carrot-and-stick approach, the president plans to rely solely on a stick -- tariffs. Trump recently threatened to levy steep tariffs on all pharmaceutical imports to the United States.
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As you might expect, the pharmaceutical industry doesn't like the idea. But can a top pharma stock such as Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) withstand the threat of Trump's new sweeping tariffs?
About the president's threatened pharmaceutical tariffs
First of all, firm details about Trump's pharmaceutical tariffs have not been released yet. However, the president said that tariffs on pharmaceutical imports will come "very soon." We do know, though, that Trump wants steep tariff levels. He said during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, "They're going to be tariffs at [a] very high rate, like 200%."
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick provided further clarification in an interview with CNBC. He said that the details on pharmaceutical tariffs will be announced at the end of July. Lutnick noted that a Section 232 investigation related to pharmaceuticals and semiconductors will be completed at the end of this month. Once that investigation is finished, Trump will establish his tariff policies. Section 232 investigations are intended to assess the effect of imports on national security.
Trump doesn't plan for pharmaceutical tariffs to take effect immediately, though. He said, "We'll give them [drugmakers] a certain period of time to get their act together." He suggested that pharmaceutical companies would have "about a year, year and a half" to move manufacturing to the U.S. to avoid the tariffs.
How Lilly could be affected
Lilly CEO Dave Ricks addressed the issue of tariffs head-on in his company's first-quarter earnings call on May 1, 2025. Ricks stated, "We support the U.S. government's goals to increase domestic investment. However, we don't believe tariffs are the right mechanism." He suggested tax incentives as a better way to promote U.S. manufacturing of prescription drugs.
But Ricks acknowledged the possibility that pharmaceutical tariffs could be imposed. He predicted that they "would have a negative effect on Lilly and for our industry." Wall Street agrees with that view.
Analysts at Barclays wrote to investors, "A 200% tariff would inflate production costs, compress profit margins, and risk supply chain disruptions, leading to drug shortages and higher prices for U.S. consumers." UBS analysts agreed, stating that tariffs could significantly hurt drugmakers' margins on products manufactured outside the U.S.
Lilly has three options in light of the steep pharmaceutical tariffs Trump has threatened. The option the president hopes drugmakers take is to relocate manufacturing to the Unites States. Lilly is already planning to build up its U.S. operations so that it can supply all products sold in the U.S. entirely from U.S. manufacturing facilities. However, it's doubtful that the company will complete this effort within the 12 to 18 months Trump mentioned. UBS said in a note to investors that four to five years is more reasonable for relocating manufacturing operations.
The second option for Lilly is to pass higher prices along to customers. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) estimates that a pharmaceutical import tariff of only 25% would increase prices by as much as 12.9%.
Lilly's third option is to absorb the higher costs. Pharmaceutical tariffs of up to 200% could hurt the company's margins considerably.
Evaluating the threat
Let's return to our original question: Can Eli Lilly withstand the threat of Trump's new sweeping tariffs? I think the answer is "yes," albeit with a major caveat. The devil is in the details. Lilly's ability to navigate high tariffs depends on exactly what the Trump administration plans to do.
Ricks said in Lilly's Q1 earnings call that tariffs would "have a transient effect for Lilly, but probably not a long-term one." I suspect he's right.
The company already manufactures many of the products it sells in the U.S. inside the country. Those products wouldn't be affected. As Ricks mentioned, Lilly is already boosting U.S. production, which will also help.
Finally, don't discount legal challenges to the president's tariffs. An argument could be made that pharmaceutical products made in Ireland, the primary overseas source for Lilly, don't present a national security threat to the U.S., since Ireland is a staunch ally.
Granted, Lilly could face a bumpy ride for a while. But I don't think the threat of tariffs undermines the long-term investment thesis for this top pharma stock.
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Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Barclays Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Can Eli Lilly Stock Withstand the Threat of President Trump's New Sweeping Tariffs?

Block (NYSE: XYZ) had a decent, if unspectacular, June, ultimately emerging from the month with a 10% gain in share price. A product launch in an important market overseas, announced as we approached July, was a catalyst, as were several positive analyst notes across the preceding weeks.
A good month for analyst takes
In the opening days of the month, Block earned a recommendation upgrade from Evercore ISI, whose analyst Adam Frisch ticked up his rating to outperform (buy, in other words) from in line (hold). With that, he also substantially increased his price target to $75 per share from the former $58.
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According to reports, Frisch's move was based on several factors, including the lack of more aggressive -- and therefore risky -- company lending to customers of its popular Cash App. The analyst also said that low-end consumer spending trends were holding steady; these support the small and mid-sized businesses that typically use the company's Square point-of-sale payment system.
Frisch was also heartened by new product rollouts from the company in both the hardware and software realms. In terms of the stock's valuation, the pundit wrote that it was cheap on several metrics when matched against peer fintech companies.
This positive tone was matched by several other Block-watching analysts during the month. While none went so far as to change their recommendation like Frisch, several either reiterated their existing bullish takes or raised their price targets.
Among the latter was Barclays's Ramsey El-Assal, who pushed his fair value assessment higher, to $75 per share from $57. He also maintained his overweight (buy) recommendation.
Stablecoins brought volatility, but...
Block did take a bit of a hit to its stock price when a Wall Street Journal article stated that top U.S. retailers were exploring ways to process stablecoin payments. Much of this has to do with saving fees charged by companies like Block and credit card processors for transactions effected through their networks.
The mood seemed to change when Block announced the rollout of its recently introduced Square Handheld to the U.K. market. This is a point-of-sale device that looks (and in some ways acts) like a smartphone. Given its form factor and the payment software packed inside, it's ideal for restaurants, a crucial Block customer demographic.
Unfavorable unpredictability
Block has always been a strong performer in the transaction management space, particularly within its wheelhouse of small and mid-sized businesses. But it's something of a wild card since it likes to plunge into other related finance segments in a way that feels almost haphazard. Its embrace of cryptocurrencies, for example, feels less than careful and has introduced a significant degree of risk.
With that wild card quality, I would personally shy away from the stock. I feel there are other titles in the fintech space more worthy of consideration.
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Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Block. The Motley Fool recommends Barclays Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Why Block Stock Zoomed 10% Higher in June

Warren Buffett appears to be on track to go out in style as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. The legendary investor has outperformed the S&P 500 throughout most of his career. He's doing it again with only six months or so remaining at Berkshire's helm.
One stock in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway portfolio is performing especially well. It's crushing the market in 2025 -- and Wall Street thinks it could soar 70% higher.
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Not the typical Buffett stock
What is this big year-to-date winner for Buffett? Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD (OTC: BYDD.F) (OTC: BYDDY). Its shares have jumped roughly 48% so far in 2025 and were even higher in May.
BYD isn't the typical Buffett stock. He primarily invests in U.S. companies, with Berkshire's stakes in five Japanese trading houses being notable exceptions. Buffett and electric vehicles generally don'y go together. He hasn't been a big fan of auto stocks in general. In 2023, Buffett said that he and his longtime business partner, the late, great Charlie Munger, "for long have felt that the auto industry is just too tough."
However, Munger was a passionate advocate for BYD. He persuaded Buffett to invest in the EV maker in 2008. At Berkshire Hathaway's 2023 annual shareholder meeting, Munger declared, "I have never helped do anything at Berkshire that was as good as BYD, and I only did it once."
BYD bulls on Wall Street
Wall Street really likes BYD, too -- or at least the lone analyst surveyed by LSEG who covers the stock does. Barclays thinks the Chinese EV maker's shares trading under the BYDDF ticker could rise by more than 70% over the next 12 months and rates the stock as a "strong buy."
Barclays isn't the only analyst that's upbeat about BYD, though. LSEG surveyed two analysts who provided revenue estimates for the company's next two quarterly updates. The average estimate is that BYD will deliver year-over-year revenue growth in Q2 of 31.4% and in Q3 of 53%.
A much larger group of 29 analysts weighed in on how BYD might perform in full-year 2025. The consensus estimate of these analysts was revenue growth of nearly 27%.
Two factors stand out as the likely reasons behind the overall bullishness about BYD. First, the company unveiled its new "Super e-Platform" technology that will allow its cars to be driven for around 249 miles (400 kilometers) after only five minutes of charging. Second, BYD plans to double its sales outside China to 800,000 vehicles in 2025.
Is Wall Street right about this high-flying stock?
I'm not convinced that Barclays is right that BYD stock could skyrocket another 70% or so. The company's EV price war in China is the culprit behind BYD's pullback from its high set earlier this year. This could hurt BYD's profitability over the near term.
However, BYD's expansion beyond China bodes well for its long-term growth prospects. In April, the company sold more EVs than Tesla in Europe for the first time ever. Despite higher tariffs imposed by the European Union, BYD made significant traction in the European market.
BYD's new charging technology could be a game-changer. Being able to charge an EV in roughly the same amount of time that it takes to fill up a gasoline-powered car should make EVs more attractive to many auto buyers.
I think BYD should have a tremendous opportunity in the autonomous ride-hailing (robotaxi) market, too. The Chinese company's partnership with Uber to roll out 100,000 BYD EVs in Europe, Latin America, and other regions is significant.
While I'm unsure whether or not BYD will vault 70% higher over the next 12 months, I suspect the stock will keep rising over both the near term and long term. And Munger's pick is likely to help Buffett step down as Berkshire's CEO at year's end on a winning note.
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Keith Speights has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Tesla, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company and Barclays Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

This Warren Buffett Stock Is Crushing the Market in 2025 -- and Wall Street Thinks It Could Soar 70% Higher

The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. BGSF (BGSF) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Business Services sector should help us answer this question.
BGSF is a member of our Business Services group, which includes 271 different companies and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. BGSF is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BGSF's full-year earnings has moved 366.7% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, BGSF has returned 5% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Business Services sector has returned an average of 0.3% on a year-to-date basis. This means that BGSF is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Business Services stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is FirstCash Holdings (FCFS). The stock is up 24% year-to-date.
For FirstCash Holdings, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 2.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
To break things down more, BGSF belongs to the Business - Services industry, a group that includes 26 individual companies and currently sits at #70 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 16.3% so far this year, so BGSF is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.
FirstCash Holdings, however, belongs to the Financial Transaction Services industry. Currently, this 35-stock industry is ranked #57. The industry has moved +0.4% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Business Services sector may want to keep a close eye on BGSF and FirstCash Holdings as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
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BGSF, Inc. (BGSF) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Barclays PLC (BCS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Jabil, Inc. (JBL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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Compania Cervecerias Unidas, S.A. (CCU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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