Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 7,541 Shares of Pearson, PLC $PSO

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,487 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,541 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Pearson were worth $1,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Pearson by 69.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 705,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,375,000 after purchasing an additional 288,114 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Pearson by 1,747.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 163,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,624,000 after purchasing an additional 155,025 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates bought a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter valued at about $2,042,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pearson by 146.3% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 151,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,424,000 after purchasing an additional 89,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter valued at about $1,396,000. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Pearson Stock Performance

NYSE PSO opened at $14.58 on Tuesday. Pearson, PLC has a 52-week low of $13.27 and a 52-week high of $17.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.31. The company has a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.57.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.0892 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.15%.

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.