Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Short Interest Update

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 692,700 shares, a decline of 16.6% from the November 30th total of 830,600 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 357,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Pearson by 68.4% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 421,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,262,000 after acquiring an additional 171,220 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Pearson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,447,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Pearson by 31.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 405,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,536,000 after acquiring an additional 97,443 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Pearson by 61.1% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 153,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,081,000 after purchasing an additional 58,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Pearson by 66.3% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 298,063 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,720,000 after purchasing an additional 118,822 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Price Performance

Pearson stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $16.21. 254,453 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 368,732. Pearson has a 12-month low of $11.69 and a 12-month high of $16.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.97. The company has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.42, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Pearson Company 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.