Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO – Get Rating) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,060.50.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PSO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Pearson from GBX 900 ($10.97) to GBX 940 ($11.46) in a research report on Friday, December 16th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Pearson from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 16th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Pearson from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Pearson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 1st.

Pearson Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:PSO opened at $10.07 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $10.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.83. Pearson has a fifty-two week low of $8.84 and a fifty-two week high of $12.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th will be paid a $0.182 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.5%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pearson

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pearson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Pearson by 6,495.2% in the fourth quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,728 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of Pearson in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Pearson by 88.3% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pearson in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.83% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Company Profile

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Pearson Plc engages in the business of education, business information, and consumer publishing markets. It operates through the following segments: Global Online Learning, Global Assessment, North American Courseware, and International. The Global Online Learning segment offers virtual schools and online program management.