Pearson (LON:PSON) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average of $964.02

Pearson plc (LON:PSON)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 964.02 ($12.00) and traded as high as GBX 996.80 ($12.41). Pearson shares last traded at GBX 990.40 ($12.33), with a volume of 1,950,716 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PSON has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Pearson from GBX 975 ($12.14) to GBX 965 ($12.01) and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,200 ($14.94) to GBX 1,220 ($15.19) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th.

Pearson Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 997.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 964.02. The stock has a market capitalization of £6.74 billion, a PE ratio of 1,868.68, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of GBX 15.70 ($0.20) per share. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous dividend of $7.00. This represents a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 21st. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4,339.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pearson

In other news, insider Graeme Pitkethly purchased 210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,037 ($12.91) per share, for a total transaction of £2,177.70 ($2,710.94). 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.