Ritholtz Wealth Management Makes New $265,000 Investment in Pearson, PLC $PSO

Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 17,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PSO. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in Pearson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,546,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Pearson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,401,000. Dorsey Wright & Associates purchased a new position in Pearson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,042,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Pearson by 145.9% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 157,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 93,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Pearson by 146.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 151,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,424,000 after purchasing an additional 89,949 shares in the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pearson Stock Up 1.6%

Pearson stock opened at $14.85 on Wednesday. Pearson, PLC has a fifty-two week low of $13.27 and a fifty-two week high of $17.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.89. The company has a market capitalization of $9.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.55.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.0892 dividend. This represents a yield of 210.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Pearson in a report on Monday. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Monday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.00.

Pearson Profile

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.