Citigroup Inc. Grows Stock Position in News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA - Free Report) by 77.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 465,040 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 203,673 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of News worth $12,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in News by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 59,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,634,000 after acquiring an additional 4,493 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in News by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in News in the 4th quarter valued at $1,171,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in News by 55.5% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 22,555 shares of the company's stock valued at $621,000 after acquiring an additional 8,046 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in News in the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.97% of the company's stock.

News Stock Down 1.1%

NWSA stock traded down $0.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $29.47. 7,741,770 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,240,672. News Corporation has a 12 month low of $23.38 and a 12 month high of $30.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.10. The company has a market capitalization of $16.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17 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.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19. News had a return on equity of 5.66% and a net margin of 13.21%. The company had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that News Corporation will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

News Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $32.70 price target on shares of News in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of News in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded News from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, News presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.34.

About News

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.