Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PSO shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pearson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Pearson by 72.5% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,645,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,605,000 after purchasing an additional 691,339 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Pearson by 16.8% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 512,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,734,000 after purchasing an additional 73,788 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Pearson by 215.5% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 54,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 37,413 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Pearson by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 156,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,202,000 after purchasing an additional 36,302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barometer Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pearson by 545.3% in the fourth quarter. Barometer Capital Management Inc. now owns 64,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $907,000 after purchasing an additional 54,589 shares during the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pearson Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:PSO opened at $16.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Pearson has a fifty-two week low of $12.02 and a fifty-two week high of $17.75.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.1103 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a yield of 137.0%.

Pearson Company Profile

Pearson plc is a global education company headquartered in London, England, with significant operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Tracing its roots back to 1844, Pearson evolved from its early beginnings into one of the world’s leading providers of educational content, digital learning tools, and assessment services. The company’s American subsidiary trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PSO.

Pearson’s core business encompasses a broad portfolio of products and services for learners, educators, and institutions.