Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Receives $12.30 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.30.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PSO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. StockNews.com raised Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

Pearson Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of PSO stock opened at $13.05 on Monday. Pearson has a 1 year low of $9.28 and a 1 year high of $13.17. The business’s fifty day moving average is $12.42 and its 200-day moving average is $11.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 22nd will be given a $0.1987 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 21st. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.07.

Institutional Trading of Pearson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PSO. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Pearson by 9.4% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,100,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,884,000 after purchasing an additional 352,469 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Pearson by 1.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,413,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,290,000 after purchasing an additional 40,792 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Pearson by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,239,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,526,000 after purchasing an additional 142,801 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Pearson by 31.5% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,659,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,542,000 after purchasing an additional 397,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Pearson by 8.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,101,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,984,000 after purchasing an additional 84,354 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

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.