Graham (NYSE:GHC) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Graham Holdings reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $1,269 and last at $1,261.55, above its prior close of $1,241.78.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $18.77, beating the $18.36 analyst consensus; revenue of $1.33 billion matched estimates.
• Analyst views were mixed, but MarketBeat reported a consensus “Strong Buy”. Graham also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.88 per share, equivalent to a 0.6% annualized yield.

Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $1,269.00 and last traded at $1,261.5450, with a volume of 1,006 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,241.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Graham from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Graham from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy".

Graham Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 0.73. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,164.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,137.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Graham (NYSE:GHC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $18.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $18.36 by $0.41. Graham had a return on equity of 6.01% and a net margin of 9.66%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion.

Graham Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a $1.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Graham's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.61%.

Institutional Trading of Graham

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Graham during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Graham by 65.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 33 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Graham by 36.4% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 45 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Graham during the second quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Graham by 533.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 57 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company's stock.

Graham Company Profile

Graham Holdings Company is a diversified American holding company formerly known as The Washington Post Company. The company changed its name in 2013 after the sale of the newspaper publishing business to Jeff Bezos. Today, Graham Holdings operates a portfolio of businesses across education, media, healthcare, automotive, manufacturing and other industries.

Its largest business is Kaplan, a provider of educational services, professional training and test preparation. Graham Holdings also owns Graham Media Group, which operates local television stations in several U.S.

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