Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Rating Lowered to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Pearson (NYSE:PSO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on PSO. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Pearson in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. National Bankshares set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Pearson Price Performance

PSO traded down $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 688,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 477,794. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.60. Pearson has a twelve month low of $11.93 and a twelve month high of $17.90. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $15.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pearson

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PSO. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Pearson in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Pearson by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,609,000 after purchasing an additional 279,369 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Pearson by 99.4% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 49,541 shares of the company's stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 24,699 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Pearson by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 190,405 shares of the company's stock worth $3,069,000 after buying an additional 32,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of Pearson during the fourth quarter worth $4,780,000. 2.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.