TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Sunday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded TAL Education Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on TAL Education Group in a report on Friday, July 31st. They set a “hold” rating for the company. New Street Research set a $13.60 price objective on TAL Education Group in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised TAL Education Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, TAL Education Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $14.80.

TAL Education Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TAL opened at $10.21 on Friday. TAL Education Group has a 12 month low of $8.88 and a 12 month high of $13.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.12.

TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $758.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $719.40 million. Sell-side analysts expect that TAL Education Group will post 1.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Alex Peng sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.28, for a total value of $368,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $185,968.32. This trade represents a 66.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TAL Education Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TAL. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of TAL Education Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,657,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in TAL Education Group by 81.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,096,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,494,000 after purchasing an additional 490,836 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new position in TAL Education Group during the second quarter worth about $2,031,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its holdings in TAL Education Group by 253.3% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 79,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 57,000 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in TAL Education Group during the second quarter worth about $1,211,000. Institutional investors own 37.79% of the company’s stock.

TAL Education Group Company Profile

TAL Education Group is a Chinese education services provider that offers learning programs, educational content and related services for students. Its offerings have included tutoring and enrichment programs in subjects such as mathematics, science, Chinese and English, along with online learning tools, educational technology and other products designed to support students, parents and teachers.

The company was founded in 2003 as Xueersi and later adopted the name TAL Education Group. It historically operated a network of learning centers and online platforms serving students in China, with a focus on primary and secondary education.