Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Receives $1,060.50 Average PT from Brokerages

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO – Get Rating) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,060.50.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas lowered Pearson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Pearson from GBX 900 ($10.97) to GBX 940 ($11.46) in a research note on Friday, December 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Pearson from GBX 945 ($11.52) to GBX 915 ($11.15) in a research report on Monday, March 6th. StockNews.com raised Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Exane BNP Paribas lowered Pearson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pearson

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pearson in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Pearson by 6,495.2% in the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 2,728 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in Pearson in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Pearson by 88.3% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Pearson in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.83% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of PSO stock opened at $10.20 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.95 and a 200 day moving average of $10.83. Pearson has a 52 week low of $8.84 and a 52 week high of $12.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th will be given a $0.182 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 23rd.

Pearson Company Profile

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Pearson Plc engages in the business of education, business information, and consumer publishing markets. It operates through the following segments: Global Online Learning, Global Assessment, North American Courseware, and International. The Global Online Learning segment offers virtual schools and online program management.