Pearson (LON:PSON) Given Buy Rating at Shore Capital

Shore Capital reissued their buy rating on shares of Pearson (LON:PSON - Free Report) in a report issued on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on PSON. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Pearson from GBX 975 ($12.04) to GBX 965 ($11.92) and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,200 ($14.82) to GBX 1,220 ($15.07) and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

Pearson Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of LON:PSON traded down GBX 4.60 ($0.06) during trading on Friday, reaching GBX 987 ($12.19). The stock had a trading volume of 1,940,652 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,554,713. Pearson has a one year low of GBX 749.40 ($9.26) and a one year high of GBX 1,046.50 ($12.93). The company has a market capitalization of £6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,862.26, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.19. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 1,003.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 968.74.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of GBX 15.70 ($0.19) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.63%. This is a positive change from Pearson's previous dividend of $7.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 21st. Pearson's payout ratio is 4,339.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Graeme Pitkethly purchased 210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 1,037 ($12.81) per share, with a total value of £2,177.70 ($2,689.85). Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

About Pearson

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.