Pearson (LON:PSON) Hits New 1-Year High at $1,046.50

Shares of Pearson plc (LON:PSON) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 1,046.50 ($13.23) and last traded at GBX 1,045.50 ($13.21), with a volume of 374340 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,035 ($13.08).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Shore Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Friday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,200 ($15.16) to GBX 1,220 ($15.42) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Pearson from GBX 975 ($12.32) to GBX 965 ($12.20) and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th.

Pearson Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.19. The firm has a market capitalization of £7.13 billion, a PE ratio of 1,952.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.30. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 980.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 949.51.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of GBX 15.70 ($0.20) per share. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous dividend of $7.00. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.63%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4,339.62%.

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, Higher Education, and Workforce Skills.