AQR Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL)

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) by 62.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,417 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,958 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.24% of Scholastic worth $2,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SCHL. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Scholastic by 6.4% during the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Scholastic by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Scholastic by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Scholastic in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 26,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $927,000 after buying an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.57% of the company’s stock.

Scholastic Stock Performance

Shares of Scholastic stock opened at $26.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $759.33 million, a PE ratio of 18.31 and a beta of 1.03. Scholastic Co. has a 1 year low of $25.54 and a 1 year high of $41.79. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($2.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.48) by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $237.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $233.49 million. Scholastic had a return on equity of 4.32% and a net margin of 1.49%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($2.20) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Scholastic Co. will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Scholastic’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Scholastic from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Scholastic

In other Scholastic news, CEO Warwick Peter purchased 1,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $30.46 per share, with a total value of $50,990.04. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 104,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,178,470.54. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Warwick Peter purchased 1,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $30.46 per share, with a total value of $50,990.04. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 104,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,178,470.54. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Iole Lucchese acquired 1,654 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.49 per share, with a total value of $50,430.46. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now owns 74,264 shares in the company, valued at $2,264,309.36. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 18.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Scholastic Company Profile

Scholastic Corporation publishes and distributes children’s books worldwide. It operates in three segments: Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution, Education Solutions, and International. The Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution segment engages in publication and distribution of children’s print, digital, and audio books, as well as media and interactive products through its school reading events and trade channel; and operation of school-based book clubs and book fairs in the United States.