Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Raised to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pearson (NYSE:PSO) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

PSO has been the topic of several other research reports. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on Pearson from GBX 1,000 ($12.63) to GBX 1,030 ($13.01) in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. UBS Group upgraded Pearson from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on Pearson from GBX 880 ($11.11) to GBX 900 ($11.37) in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Pearson from GBX 1,230 ($15.53) to GBX 1,190 ($15.03) in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Pearson from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $1,056.67.

Pearson Stock Performance

Pearson stock opened at $10.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a current ratio of 2.16. Pearson has a 12 month low of $9.05 and a 12 month high of $12.03. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.46.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 11th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 10th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 49,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,437 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 16,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,000 after acquiring an additional 1,697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. 2.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Pearson

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.