Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Acquires 660 Shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 49.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,989 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 660 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in News were worth $55,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in News in the third quarter worth $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in News in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in News in the third quarter worth $85,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in News by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in News in the fourth quarter worth $137,000. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on NWSA. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup began coverage on shares of News in a report on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, News presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.25.

News Stock Down 2.2 %

News stock opened at $27.35 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $15.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47 and a beta of 1.34. News Co. has a 1-year low of $22.65 and a 1-year high of $30.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a net margin of 4.22% and a return on equity of 5.31%. Research analysts anticipate that News Co. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

News Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.40%.

News Profile

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.