Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Franklin Covey Company $FC

Key Points

• Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. sold 93,029 shares of Franklin Covey Company, reducing its stake by 13.7%, leaving it with approximately 586,071 shares, valued at $16.2 million.
• Franklin Covey's quarterly earnings exceeded analysts' expectations, reporting $0.18 EPS versus a consensus estimate of ($0.08).
• Recent analyst reports indicate a consensus target price for Franklin Covey shares at $27.00, with two analysts rating the stock as a "Buy."

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Franklin Covey Company (NYSE:FC - Free Report) by 13.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 586,071 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 93,029 shares during the quarter. Franklin Covey accounts for 1.1% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. owned 4.51% of Franklin Covey worth $16,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Franklin Covey during the 1st quarter valued at $1,233,000. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in Franklin Covey by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 9,301 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Franklin Covey by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 641,620 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $17,722,000 after buying an additional 27,119 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Franklin Covey by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,376 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,889,000 after buying an additional 8,441 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi purchased a new stake in Franklin Covey during the 1st quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.88% of the company's stock.

Franklin Covey Stock Up 5.4%

Franklin Covey stock traded up $1.00 on Thursday, hitting $19.49. 79,030 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 133,890. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $19.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.75. The firm has a market cap of $246.35 million, a P/E ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Franklin Covey Company has a 1 year low of $18.13 and a 1 year high of $44.16.

Franklin Covey (NYSE:FC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 2nd. The business services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.26. The company had revenue of $67.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.49 million. Franklin Covey had a net margin of 3.81% and a return on equity of 19.08%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. Franklin Covey has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Franklin Covey Company will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barrington Research cut their price target on shares of Franklin Covey from $35.00 to $27.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Franklin Covey from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Franklin Covey presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $27.00.

About Franklin Covey

Franklin Covey Co provides training and consulting services in the areas of execution, sales performance, productivity, customer loyalty, and educational improvement for organizations and individuals worldwide. The company operates through Direct Offices, International Licensees, and Education Practice segments.