Insider Buying: Pearson plc (LON:PSON) Insider Buys 922 Shares of Stock

Pearson plc (LON:PSON) insider Sherry Coutu purchased 922 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,017 ($13.60) per share, for a total transaction of £9,376.74 ($12,542.46).

Pearson Price Performance

PSON stock traded up GBX 8.63 ($0.12) during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting GBX 1,022.13 ($13.67). 4,802,814 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,313,421. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 1,042.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 1,007.48. Pearson plc has a one year low of GBX 855.40 ($11.44) and a one year high of GBX 1,084 ($14.50). The company has a market cap of £6.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,038.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.56.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 8th were paid a dividend of GBX 7.40 ($0.10) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 0.7%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4,600.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PSON shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Pearson from GBX 1,050 ($14.04) to GBX 1,052 ($14.07) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,170 ($15.65) price target on shares of Pearson in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Monday, July 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 1,101.75 ($14.74).

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.