It’s been a bumpy year for stock markets and it’s been a bumpy year for Barclays (LSE: BARC) also shares.

In early 2026, the situation seems clear, but the war in Iran has thrown everything into chaos. Despite, FTSE100 he behaved quite well. It has increased by 5.7% since the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, the Barclays share price fell by 5.2%. This would mean a reduction in investment from £9,999 on January 1 to £9,479 today. That’s disappointing, but long-term investors can’t really complain after the recent astoundingly good performance. The Barclays share price is still up 145% over five years. Dividends are at the top.

Shares had to take a breather at some point. Is this a buying opportunity long-term investors?

How much does this bank earn?

As my table shows, underlying pre-tax profits for the full year have increased significantly over the last few years. They were a bit up and down before.

• 2025 – £9.1 billion
• 2024 – £8.1 billion
• 2023 – £6.6 billion
• 2022 – £7.0 billion
• 2021 – £8.4 billion

Results for the first quarter of 2026 (April 28) showed a more modest profit raise of 3% to £2.8 billion. Revenues continue to grow, but the bank has been hit by higher costs and a £228m impairment charge following the collapse of British shadow bank Market Financial Solutions. In total, Barclays allocated £823 million to bad debts. If shadow banking problems worsen or the war in Iran triggers a global recession, this number could rise.

Barclays may have a US investment banking arm and expand in the Middle East, but it still makes half its money in good aged Britain. Therefore, our sluggish economy is also a problem.

Despite the current uncertainty, Barclays still expects to return over £15 billion to shareholders between 2026 and 2028. Much of this amount will come from share buybackbut this will also pay off. The forecasted profitability for 2026 is 3.4% and will raise to 4.1% next year.

Is now a good time to buy shares?

The bank currently looks like a good value, with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.6. Personally, I think the recent volatility has created a buying opportunity for FTSE 100 listed banks overall. I jumped on both NatWest AND HSBC earlier this month after their shares tumbled following disappointing (though not that bad) quarterly results.

Both are up more than 5% since then, so I got a quick early reward, although I plan on holding them for decades. Honestly, if I hadn’t started worrying that I was too exposed to this sector (I also think Lloyds), then I would fill my shoes with Barclays right now. While there are always risks, I think this looks like one of the most attractive opportunities on the FTSE 100 right now.

Over the years, investors can expect share prices, dividend income and share buybacks to raise. There is no doubt that there will be ups and downs along the way. After the financial crisis, no investor will be able to breathe freely around banks. However, I will be keeping a close eye on Barclays and waiting for an opportunity to buy it once I have more cash in my trading account.

Should you invest £5,000 in Barclays Plc now?

If investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have stock advice, it can pay to listen. After all, Twelfth Magpie’s flagship Share Advisor newsletter, which it has run for almost a decade, provides thousands of paying members with the best share recommendations from across the UK and US markets.

Mark believes there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying right now. Want to see if Barclays Plc is on the list?

Harvey Jones owns shares in HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest.