Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Short Interest Update

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 867,200 shares, an increase of 20.0% from the March 15th total of 722,900 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 638,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PSO has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Pearson in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, National Bankshares set a $18.00 target price on Pearson in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PSO. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Pearson in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,609,000 after buying an additional 279,369 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Pearson by 99.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 49,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 24,699 shares during the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in Pearson in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,780,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Pearson by 228.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 2,811 shares during the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pearson Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Pearson stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Monday, reaching $15.57. The stock had a trading volume of 170,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 444,650. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $10.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.42. Pearson has a 52 week low of $11.78 and a 52 week high of $17.90.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.2092 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.62%.

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, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.