Townsquare Capital LLC Increases Stake in Pearson, PLC $PSO

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Pearson, PLC by 203.8% during the first quarter, now owning 50,297 shares valued at approximately $805,000.
• Pearson recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.0892 per share, with a significant dividend yield of 210.0%.
• Several hedge funds have made substantial increases in their Pearson holdings, with some reporting increases of over 1,700% in the first quarter.

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its position in Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO - Free Report) by 203.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 50,297 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,743 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Pearson were worth $805,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Pearson by 1,798.8% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,547 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in Pearson by 43.6% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Pearson by 251.4% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 3,754 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Pearson by 247.6% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 6,202 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 4,418 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Pearson during the fourth quarter worth about $134,000. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PSO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pearson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Pearson in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Pearson from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $18.00.

Pearson Price Performance

PSO stock traded up $0.1450 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $14.6750. The company's stock had a trading volume of 415,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 671,318. Pearson, PLC has a 12 month low of $13.27 and a 12 month high of $17.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $14.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.60.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.0892 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. Pearson's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.15%.

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.