Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Large Volume Increase - What's Next?

Shares of Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 19,990 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 12% from the previous session's volume of 17,807 shares.The stock last traded at $938.51 and had previously closed at $929.28.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut Graham from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Graham Stock Down 0.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $936.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $927.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 0.91.

Graham (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $11.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $11.29 by $0.35. Graham had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 5.79%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion.

Graham Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 17th. Graham's payout ratio is 5.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graham

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Graham by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,601 shares of the company's stock worth $11,176,000 after purchasing an additional 3,327 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Graham by 188.2% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 588 shares of the company's stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Graham by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 567 shares of the company's stock worth $495,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Graham by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 142 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Graham during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.