Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on BNED. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Barnes & Noble Education in a report on Friday, April 10th. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of Barnes & Noble Education in a report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $17.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.00.

Barnes & Noble Education Stock Down 4.7%

NYSE BNED opened at $11.13 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.24. Barnes & Noble Education has a 12 month low of $5.90 and a 12 month high of $12.21. The company has a market capitalization of $381.62 million, a P/E ratio of -34.77 and a beta of 1.32.

Institutional Trading of Barnes & Noble Education

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BNED. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Barnes & Noble Education by 261.1% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,972 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,872 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Barnes & Noble Education by 205.5% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 4,326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,910 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Barnes & Noble Education by 1,412.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 5,733 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Barnes & Noble Education in the first quarter worth approximately $73,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in Barnes & Noble Education in the second quarter worth approximately $96,000. 38.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Barnes & Noble Education

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc (NYSE: BNED) is a leading provider of educational products and services to the higher education community. The company operates retail campus bookstores under Barnes & Noble College, offering course materials, general merchandise, and digital content. In addition, Barnes & Noble Education delivers educational technology solutions through its digital learning platform and supplemental courseware.

Originally part of Barnes & Noble, Inc, the company completed its spin-off and initial public offering in February 2015 to focus exclusively on college retail and digital learning.