Graham (NYSE:GHC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $3.64 EPS

Graham (NYSE:GHC) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $22.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $18.94 by $3.64, Zacks reports. Graham had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 5.79%.

Graham Stock Performance

Shares of GHC stock traded up $29.29 on Wednesday, hitting $969.25. 4,943 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,881. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $907.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $860.93. Graham has a one year low of $683.00 and a one year high of $988.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Graham Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Graham’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Graham from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Insider Activity at Graham

In other news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of Graham stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total value of $140,126.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 442 shares in the company, valued at $389,534.60. This trade represents a 26.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 20.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Graham

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.