Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) Short Interest Down 17.1% in March

Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) was the target of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,688,234 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the March 15th total of 3,241,684 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,265,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on PSO. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pearson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Pearson in a research note on Monday, January 12th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Pearson from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Pearson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PSO traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,293,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,171,164. Pearson has a 12 month low of $12.02 and a 12 month high of $16.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.44.

Pearson Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Pearson

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PSO. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Pearson by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,971,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,759,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015,739 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pearson in the 1st quarter worth $11,546,000. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Pearson in the 3rd quarter worth $10,104,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Pearson by 1,072.4% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 605,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,043,000 after acquiring an additional 554,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Pearson in the 4th quarter worth $6,515,000. Institutional investors own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

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.