Brokerages Set Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) PT at $12.30

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.30.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pearson

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Pearson by 23.9% during the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 3,265 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Pearson by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 24,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 3,871 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new position in Pearson during the 1st quarter valued at about $312,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Pearson by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,239,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,526,000 after buying an additional 142,801 shares during the period. Finally, Syon Capital LLC acquired a new position in Pearson during the 4th quarter valued at about $288,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Trading Down 0.7 %

PSO stock opened at $12.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Pearson has a fifty-two week low of $9.28 and a fifty-two week high of $13.18. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.16.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.1987 per share. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 21st. This represents a yield of 2.2%.

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.