Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pearson (NYSE:PSO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on PSO. National Bankshares set a $18.00 target price on Pearson in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Pearson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Pearson Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:PSO opened at $17.22 on Monday. Pearson has a 1 year low of $11.78 and a 1 year high of $17.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s 50-day moving average is $16.40 and its 200 day moving average is $15.13.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.2092 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Pearson’s payout ratio is presently 20.21%.

Institutional Trading of Pearson

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PSO. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Pearson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,780,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Pearson by 69.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 705,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,375,000 after purchasing an additional 288,114 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 135.5% during the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 495,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,992,000 after buying an additional 285,234 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,609,000 after purchasing an additional 279,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Pearson by 31.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 405,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,536,000 after buying an additional 97,443 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

About Pearson

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.