LONDON— Barclays PLC
BCS,
-0.41%
said its net profit declined in the first quarter, driven by a hit from a debt-sale flub and lower levels of deal making.
The London-based lender on Thursday said it earned £1.4 billion, equivalent to $1.8 billion, in the three months to the end of March, down from £1.7 billion in the same period last year. Analysts expected the bank to report a £1.55 billion profit for the quarter, according to FactSet. The bank’s compiled forecasts projected £1.32 billion. Revenue increased 10% to £6.5 billion.
The bank’s shares
BARC,
+1.30%
rose 1.2%. Barclays has been trading close to a one-year low and has fallen 23% this year. That compares to a 1.4% rise in the U.K.’s benchmark FTSE 100
UKX,
+0.80%
stock index in 2022.
Chief Executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan ran into a sticky situation early in his tenure after Barclays last month said it was facing a £450 million loss and a regulatory investigation. Its U.S. division, in what amounted to a clerical error, accidentally sold more structured notes than was allowed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. It said it expects to buy the notes back at a loss. Mr. Venkatakrishnan was previously the bank’s chief risk officer.
An expanded version of this story is available at WSJ.com
