Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Shares Gap Up to $9.26

Shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO – Get Rating) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $9.26, but opened at $10.20. Pearson shares last traded at $10.43, with a volume of 8,460 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on PSO shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Pearson from GBX 760 ($9.31) to GBX 800 ($9.80) in a research note on Wednesday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Pearson in a research report on Sunday, April 10th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Pearson from GBX 620 ($7.60) to GBX 780 ($9.56) in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $832.50.

Pearson Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

Institutional Trading of Pearson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Pearson by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,100,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,884,000 after buying an additional 352,469 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Pearson by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,467,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,729,000 after buying an additional 34,183 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Pearson by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,659,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,542,000 after buying an additional 397,676 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Pearson by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,506,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,022,000 after buying an additional 228,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Pearson by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,101,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 84,354 shares during the last quarter. 10.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pearson Company Profile

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

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