BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases Shares of 55,764 Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 55,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $899,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Pearson by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,609,000 after purchasing an additional 279,369 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Pearson by 69.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 705,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,375,000 after purchasing an additional 288,114 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in Pearson by 135.5% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 495,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,992,000 after purchasing an additional 285,234 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in Pearson during the 4th quarter worth about $4,780,000. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its stake in Pearson by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 200,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,228,000 after buying an additional 12,515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:PSO opened at $16.54 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $15.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Pearson plc has a 1-year low of $11.78 and a 1-year high of $17.90.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.2092 dividend. This is an increase from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.