Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Bank of Montreal or Barclays PLC because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC

Bank of Montreal engages in the provision of diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company operates through Canadian P&C, U.S P&C, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. It’s personal banking products and services include deposits, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products. It also offers investing, banking, and wealth management advisory; digital investing services; financial solutions for individuals, families, and businesses; offers investment management services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors; and diversified insurance, and wealth and pension de-risking solutions. In addition, the company provides individual life, critical illness and annuity products, as well as segregated funds, and group creditor and travel insurance to customers; debt and equity capital-raising, loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, treasury management, mergers and acquisitions advice, restructurings and recapitalizations, trade finance, and risk mitigation services, as well as a range of banking and other operating services. Further, the company offers research and access to financial markets for institutional, corporate and retail clients through an integrated suite of sales and trading solutions related to debt, foreign exchange, interest rates, credit, equities, securitization, and commodities; provides new product development and origination services, as well as risk management and advisory services for hedging strategies, including in interest rates, foreign exchange rates and commodities prices; and funding and liquidity management services. Bank of Montreal was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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; Barclays UK Corporate Bank; Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management; Barclays Investment Bank; and Barclays US Consumer Bank segments. It offers financial services, such as current accounts, savings accounts, mortgages and unsecured lending, such as credit cards and loans retail banking, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services, as well as lending products. In addition, the company engages in securities dealing activities and issuing of credit cards. The company was formerly known as Barclays Bank public limited company and changed its name to Barclays PLC in January 1985. Barclays PLC was founded in 1690 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Latest Banks and Bank of Montreal, Barclays PLC Stock News

As of March 31, 2026, Bank of Montreal had a $95.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $700.0 million. Bank of Montreal’s stock is up 4.3% in 2026, down 0.8% in the previous five trading days and up 42.06% in the past year.

Currently, Bank of Montreal’s price-earnings ratio is 15.3. Bank of Montreal’s trailing 12-month revenue is $24.7 billion with a 27.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 17.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $10.187 per share for the current fiscal year. Bank of Montreal currently has a 4.9% dividend yield.

As of March 31, 2026, Barclays PLC had a $70.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 96th percentile of all stocks. Barclays PLC’s stock is down 16.9% in 2026, up 2.3% in the previous five trading days and up 37.49% in the past year.

Currently, Barclays PLC’s price-earnings ratio is 37.2. Barclays PLC’s trailing 12-month revenue is $36.1 billion with a 26.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 22.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.865 per share for the current fiscal year. Barclays PLC currently has a 2.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Bank of Montreal	BMO	C
Barclays PLC	BCS	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Bank of Montreal has a Growth Score of 48, which is Average. Barclays PLC has a Growth Score of 57, which is Average.

The Growth Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Bank of Montreal or Barclays PLC has a high enough Growth Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Bank of Montreal or Barclays PLC is the better investment when it comes to sustainable growth.

Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Bank of Montreal	BMO	B
Barclays PLC	BCS	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Bank of Montreal has a Momentum Score of 67, which is Strong. Barclays PLC has a Momentum Score of 53, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Bank of Montreal

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Bank of Montreal is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Barclays PLC. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Bank of Montreal could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Bank of Montreal	BMO	B
Barclays PLC	BCS	D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Bank of Montreal has a Earnings Estimate Score of 72, which is Positive. Barclays PLC has a Earnings Estimate Score of 36, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Bank of Montreal

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Bank of Montreal has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Barclays PLC. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Bank of Montreal could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC Grades

In addition to Momentum, Growth and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Bank of Montreal or Barclays PLC Stock?

Overall, Bank of Montreal stock has a Growth Score of 48, Momentum Score of 67 and Estimate Revisions Score of 72.

Barclays PLC stock has a Growth Score of 57, Momentum Score of 53 and Estimate Revisions Score of 36.

Comparing Bank of Montreal and Barclays PLC’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.