Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 45,262 shares traded hands during 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Graham Trading Down 1.2%

The firm has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average of $948.09 and a 200 day moving average of $930.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.62.

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

Graham Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 17th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graham

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Graham by 29.3% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 5,261 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Graham in the 1st quarter valued at $1,057,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Graham by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 4,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,012,000 after buying an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graham by 106.1% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 3,978 shares of the company's stock worth $3,822,000 after acquiring an additional 2,048 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Graham by 39.8% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 8,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,927,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company's stock.

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.