Barclays Explores Evelyn Partners Deal in Push into Affluent Clients

Barclays PLC BCS is considering a potential takeover of Evelyn Partners, one of Britain's largest wealth managers, with a bid expected as early as this week. This was first reported by Reuters on Friday, citing four people familiar with the matter.For Barclays, a formal bid would need to be submitted by Dec. 10, the deadline set by Evelyn Partners’ private equity owners, Permira and Warburg Pincus, for non-binding offers. The sale process, launched earlier this year, is expected to value Evelyn at more than £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion), based on prior Reuters reporting.The process has attracted other major global contenders, including NatWest Group PLC NWG, Royal Bank of Canada RY and Lloyds Banking Group PLC LYG, exploring potential bids. The sources noted that interest from Barclays, NatWest, Royal Bank of Canada and Lloyds does not guarantee that bids will be submitted or that a transaction will materialize.Rationale Behind Barclays’ MoveLast year, Sasha Wiggins, CEO of Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management, stated that the bank intends to accelerate growth in its Private Banking and Wealth Management segment by increasing its headcount and hiring up to 100 advisers.The company identified roughly 4 million Barclays UK customers who have assets worth £250,000 to £3 million for investment and therefore can avail high-value wealth management services.“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 added.This move is in sync with Barclays’ push to expand its wealth management franchise in the mass-affluent segment, a tier below ultra-rich clients, a segment U.K. banks are prioritizing to lift fee-based revenues amid structural pressure on lending income.Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management segment reported total income of £1.03 billion ($1.38 billion) for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2025, reflecting 7.7% growth from the prior year quarter. Attributable profit was £256 million ($341.1 million), up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis, over the same time frame.BCS’ Zacks Rank & Price PerformanceOver the past six months, shares of Barclays have gained 28.1% compared with the industry’s growth of 20.5%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchCurrently, BCS carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Zacks Naming Top 10 Stocks for 2026Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2026? History suggests their performance could be sensational.From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2025, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,530.8%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +570.3%.Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2026. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 5. Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Barclays PLC (BCS): Free Stock Analysis Report Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LYG): Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Bank Of Canada (RY): Free Stock Analysis Report NatWest Group plc (NWG): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks