Graham (NYSE:GHC) Reaches New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Graham Holdings Company's stock reached a new 52-week high of $1,200.00, trading recently at $1,139.27 with a market cap of $4.97 billion and a P/E ratio of 7.31.
• The company reported $14.33 earnings per share, exceeding analyst expectations of $10.15, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.80 per share with a yield of 0.6%.
• Institutional investors have shown increased interest, with AQR Capital Management raising its stake in Graham by 58.8%, now holding 93,253 shares valued at approximately $88.2 million.

Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1,200.00 and last traded at $1,139.27, with a volume of 54841 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,159.92.

Graham Trading Down 1.0%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,031.60 and a 200-day moving average of $972.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.37 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Graham (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $14.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.15 by $4.18. Graham had a return on equity of 6.79% and a net margin of 14.10%.The business had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion.

Graham Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 16th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Graham's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graham

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GHC. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Graham by 58.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 93,253 shares of the company's stock worth $88,233,000 after acquiring an additional 34,524 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Graham by 91.9% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 43,703 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,350,000 after buying an additional 20,932 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graham by 128,013.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 19,217 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,465,000 after buying an additional 19,202 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Graham during the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,206,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graham during the 1st quarter valued at about $8,351,000. 93.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Graham

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.