Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) Stock Now Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Pearson shares have an average “Hold” rating from seven covering brokerages: five holds, one sell and one buy. Recent actions included downgrades from Goldman Sachs and Kepler Capital Markets.
• Institutional investors increased their positions in Pearson during the second quarter, although institutions collectively own only 2.14% of the company’s stock.
• Pearson shares opened at $16.11, within a 52-week range of $12.02 to $17.75. The company also reduced its dividend to $0.1103 from $0.2346.

Shares of Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company.

Several brokerages recently commented on PSO. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Pearson from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Pearson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Pearson in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Kepler Capital Markets cut Pearson from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, September 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Monday, August 3rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pearson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 224,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,572,000 after buying an additional 47,023 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Pearson by 3.4% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 40,867 shares of the company's stock worth $649,000 after buying an additional 1,334 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its holdings in Pearson by 44.9% during the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 24,200 shares of the company's stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC raised its position in Pearson by 14.8% during the second quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 28,322 shares of the company's stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 3,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Pearson by 44.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,880 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 2,727 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.14% of the company's stock.

Pearson Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Pearson stock opened at $16.11 on Monday. Pearson has a 52-week low of $12.02 and a 52-week high of $17.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $16.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.40.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.1103 dividend. This is a negative change from Pearson's previous dividend of $0.2346. This represents a yield of 137.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th.

Pearson Company Profile

Pearson plc is a global learning and education company headquartered in London, England. Through its assessment, qualifications, learning content and digital services businesses, Pearson supports students, educators, institutions, employers and governments throughout the education and workforce-development lifecycle.

The company provides academic and professional assessments, English-language testing, vocational and higher-education qualifications, textbooks, digital courseware and online learning platforms.

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