Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Time to Buy?

Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 45,262 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 116% from the previous session's volume of 20,961 shares.The stock last traded at $966.28 and had previously closed at $966.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Graham Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a PE ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $945.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $929.85.

Graham (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $11.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.29 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. Graham had a return on equity of 6.80% and a net margin of 12.99%.

Graham Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 17th. Graham's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Graham during the fourth quarter valued at $26,773,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Graham by 50.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 58,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,851,000 after acquiring an additional 19,690 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Graham by 128,013.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 19,217 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,465,000 after acquiring an additional 19,202 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Graham in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,726,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Graham in the fourth quarter valued at about $8,157,000. 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.

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