Barclays Payout Plans Raise Prospect of M&A as Profit Beats

Barclays Plc said it will return at least £15 billion ($20.5 billion) to shareholders through 2028 as it continues to work through a long-term plan to slash costs and improve profitability.

The planned capital returns were below consensus of £16.8 billion, with analysts at Royal Bank of Canada questioning “whether the bank is holding back on distributions to facilitate M&A.”