ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Takes Position in News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in News Corporation, purchasing 35,513 shares valued at approximately $967,000. This move reflects ongoing interest from institutional investors, with 66.97% of the company's stock now owned by them.
• News Corporation announced a $0.10 dividend to be paid on October 8th, representing a significant dividend yield of 70.0% based on current stock prices.
• The company reported earnings of $0.19 per share, meeting analysts' expectations, and achieved a quarterly revenue of $2.11 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 0.8%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new position in News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 35,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $967,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in shares of News in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in News in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in News in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of News by 714.9% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,433 shares of the company's stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 3,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in shares of News by 53.3% in the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,600 shares of the company's stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.97% of the company's stock.

News Trading Up 0.5%

NWSA stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $29.77. 906,591 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,302,235. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.03 and a 200-day moving average of $28.08. News Corporation has a 52-week low of $23.38 and a 52-week high of $30.75.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19. The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. News had a return on equity of 5.66% and a net margin of 13.21%. News's quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.17 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that News Corporation will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

News Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a half year 25 dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 70.0%. News's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of News in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of News from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $32.70 price objective on shares of News in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.12.

News Company Profile

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.