Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) Stake Cut by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,039 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,277 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.90% of Graham worth $33,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Graham by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 31 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Graham by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 142 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Graham by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 144 shares of the company's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Graham by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Graham during the fourth quarter worth about $197,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Graham from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Graham Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GHC traded up $12.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $977.01. The company had a trading volume of 10,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,729. The stock has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.91. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $933.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $915.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Graham Holdings has a 12 month low of $683.00 and a 12 month high of $1,003.53.

Graham (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $11.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.29 by $0.35. Graham had a return on equity of 5.79% and a net margin of 4.86%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion.

Graham Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 17th will be paid a $1.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 17th. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Graham's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.05%.

Graham Profile

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.