Formidable Asset Management LLC Takes $422,000 Position in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

Formidable Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 26,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Pearson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Pearson by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company's stock worth $13,609,000 after purchasing an additional 279,369 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Pearson by 99.4% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 49,541 shares of the company's stock worth $799,000 after buying an additional 24,699 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in Pearson in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,780,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pearson by 228.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 2,811 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.14% of the company's stock.

Pearson Stock Performance

PSO stock traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 438,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,433. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $15.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Pearson plc has a 1 year low of $11.78 and a 1 year high of $17.90. The stock has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.62.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.2092 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This is a boost from Pearson's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. Pearson's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PSO. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Pearson in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Pearson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, National Bankshares set a $18.00 price objective on Pearson in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

Pearson Company Profile

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.