News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA) Shares Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC has increased its holdings in News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 20.5%, owning a total of 210,940 shares now valued at approximately $5.74 million.
• News Corporation announced a $0.10 dividend per share, which will be paid on October 8th, reflecting a yield of 70.0%.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $38.12 for News Corporation, with ratings of "buy," "hold," and one "strong buy" from various equity research firms.

Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 210,940 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 35,913 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in News were worth $5,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NWSA. Asset Value Investors Ltd bought a new stake in shares of News in the 4th quarter valued at about $122,391,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in News by 291.2% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,941,467 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,088,000 after purchasing an additional 3,678,215 shares during the period. Independent Franchise Partners LLP grew its holdings in News by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 26,617,259 shares of the company's stock valued at $733,039,000 after purchasing an additional 2,812,080 shares during the period. 59 North Capital Management LP grew its holdings in News by 40.2% during the fourth quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 8,962,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $246,817,000 after purchasing an additional 2,569,343 shares during the period. Finally, Ion Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of News in the fourth quarter worth $45,102,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.97% of the company's stock.

News Price Performance

NASDAQ NWSA traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $29.84. 999,631 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,303,238. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The company has a market capitalization of $16.89 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's 50-day moving average is $29.03 and its 200-day moving average is $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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.19. News had a net margin of 13.21% and a return on equity of 5.66%. The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. News's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that News Corporation will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

News Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on NWSA. Wall Street Zen cut News from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $32.70 price objective on shares of News in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of News in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, News presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.