Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Shares of Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 28,794 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 78% from the previous session’s volume of 16,171 shares.The stock last traded at $974.66 and had previously closed at $960.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Graham from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday.

Graham Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $943.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $894.78. The stock has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28 and a beta of 1.12.

Graham Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a $1.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. Graham’s payout ratio is 4.37%.

Insider Transactions at Graham

In other news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total transaction of $140,126.70. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,534.60. This trade represents a 26.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graham

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GHC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Graham by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 31 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Graham by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Graham by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Graham by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graham in the 4th quarter valued at $197,000. Institutional investors own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Graham Company Profile

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.