10,393 Shares in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Purchased by First Affirmative Financial Network

First Affirmative Financial Network purchased a new stake in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 10,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $109,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Pearson during the second quarter worth $9,553,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pearson by 379.2% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 707,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 559,559 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Pearson by 5,388.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 481,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,425,000 after acquiring an additional 472,637 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 380.4% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 510,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,340,000 after purchasing an additional 404,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Pearson by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,659,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,542,000 after purchasing an additional 397,676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.21% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Stock Down 0.5 %

PSO stock opened at $11.03 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.46. Pearson plc has a 12 month low of $9.05 and a 12 month high of $12.03. The company has a market cap of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.41.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 11th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PSO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Pearson from GBX 880 ($11.01) to GBX 900 ($11.26) in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,190 ($14.89) to GBX 1,210 ($15.14) in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group raised shares of Pearson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 5th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on Pearson from GBX 1,000 ($12.51) to GBX 1,030 ($12.89) in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pearson presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.00.

Pearson 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.