Barclays shares hit nine-year high after third quarter profit jumps 23%, beating expectations

LONDON — British bank Barclays on Thursday reported £1.6 billion ($2 billion) net profit attributable to shareholders for the third quarter, beating expectations.

The result compared with the £1.17 billion net profit forecast in an LSEG poll of analysts and was 23% higher than the same period in 2023.

Revenue for the period came in at £6.5 billion, slightly ahead of a forecast of £6.39 billion.

Barclays shares had climbed 4.3% by 9:30 a.m. in London, reaching their highest level since October 2015, according to LSEG data.

The lender's return on tangible equity rose to 12.3% from 9.9% in the second quarter, as its CET1 ratio — a measure of solvency — rose to 13.8% from 13.6%.

Earlier this year, Barclays announced a strategic overhaul in an effort to cut costs, boost shareholder returns and stabilize its long-term financial performance, placing more focus on domestic lending while reducing costs at its more volatile investment banking unit. That strategy has included the acquisition of U.K. retail banking business Tesco Bank.

In the second quarter, Barclays net profit fell slightly year-on-year amid lower income at its U.K. consumer bank and corporate bank, as net profit jumped 10% at its investment bank.

Those gaps closed in the third quarter, with domestic bank income up 4%, with the lender raising its annual forecast for U.K. retail net interest income to £6.5 billion from £6.3 billion. Corporate bank income was 1% higher due to a rise in average deposit balances, while investment banking income gained 6%.

Amid declines, income at Barclays' private U.S. consumer bank dipped 2% year-on-year as its wealth management unit fell 3%.

Barclays CEO C. S. Venkatakrishnan told CNBC on Thursday the results showed the bank was on track to