Pearson (LON:PSON) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average of $964.02

Shares of Pearson plc (LON:PSON) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 964.02 ($12.00) and traded as high as GBX 996.80 ($12.41). Pearson shares last traded at GBX 990.40 ($12.33), with a volume of 1,950,716 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PSON. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on Pearson from GBX 975 ($12.14) to GBX 965 ($12.01) and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Pearson from GBX 1,200 ($14.94) to GBX 1,220 ($15.19) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th.

Pearson Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 997.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 964.02. The stock has a market capitalization of £6.74 billion, a PE ratio of 1,868.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st will be paid a dividend of GBX 15.70 ($0.20) per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. This is a positive change from Pearson’s previous dividend of $7.00. This represents a yield of 1.63%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4,339.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Graeme Pitkethly bought 210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 1,037 ($12.91) per share, for a total transaction of £2,177.70 ($2,710.94). Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.