Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PSO shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Pearson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Pearson from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Pearson in a research note on Monday, January 12th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PSO. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 16.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 71,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 9,977 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter worth $11,546,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 10,532.1% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 25,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 25,593 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 2.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,144,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,336,000 after purchasing an additional 44,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 672.2% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 261,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,906,000 after purchasing an additional 227,725 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:PSO opened at $14.67 on Monday. Pearson has a 12 month low of $12.02 and a 12 month high of $16.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Pearson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.2346 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 368.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th.

About Pearson

Pearson plc is a global education company headquartered in London, England, with significant operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Tracing its roots back to 1844, Pearson evolved from its early beginnings into one of the world’s leading providers of educational content, digital learning tools, and assessment services. The company’s American subsidiary trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PSO.

Pearson’s core business encompasses a broad portfolio of products and services for learners, educators, and institutions.