UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Sells 9,965 Shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd cut its holdings in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 56,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,965 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in News were worth $1,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of News by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 11,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in News by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in News by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 12,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of News by 49.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of News by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 42,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NWSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup assumed coverage on News in a research report on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.25.

News Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NWSA opened at $26.59 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.80. News Co. has a 12-month low of $22.65 and a 12-month high of $30.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43 and a beta of 1.34.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.40%.

About News

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.