Invesco Ltd. Lowers Position in Pearson, PLC $PSO

Invesco Ltd. cut its holdings in Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) by 32.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 515,011 shares of the company’s stock after selling 243,310 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Pearson worth $8,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PSO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Pearson by 103.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 31,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,000 after acquiring an additional 15,867 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Pearson by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 2,637 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pearson during the fourth quarter valued at about $225,000. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Pearson during the fourth quarter valued at about $354,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Pearson by 850.1% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 8,118 shares during the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pearson Stock Performance

PSO opened at $14.7650 on Tuesday. Pearson, PLC has a 52-week low of $13.27 and a 52-week high of $17.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $9.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $14.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.53.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.0892 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is 19.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PSO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pearson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $18.00.

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.