Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) Hits New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• PXED fell to a new 52-week low of $19.32, down from a prior close of $19.59; its 50-day and 200-day moving averages were $25.53 and $28.70, respectively.
• Analyst views are mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with a $31.67 target price, while Zacks cut its rating to Strong Sell and Wall Street Zen upgraded to Buy.
• The company matched quarterly EPS expectations at $1.07 and raised its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.23 per share, an annualized yield of about 4.8%.

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low on Monday. The company traded as low as $19.32 and last traded at $19.3250, with a volume of 64,045 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PXED shares. Zacks Research lowered Phoenix Education Partners from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Phoenix Education Partners from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Phoenix Education Partners from $36.00 to $33.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Barrington Research downgraded shares of Phoenix Education Partners from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Phoenix Education Partners has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.67.

Phoenix Education Partners Trading Down 2.0%

The stock has a market cap of $703.83 million and a PE ratio of 8.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.70.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07. Phoenix Education Partners had a net margin of 8.74% and a return on equity of 55.76%. The company had revenue of $260.68 million during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Phoenix Education Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a positive change from Phoenix Education Partners's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Phoenix Education Partners's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Woods sold 19,453 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.89, for a total value of $503,638.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 62,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,622,836.98. This trade represents a 23.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,703 shares of company stock valued at $534,904. Company insiders own 5.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Phoenix Education Partners

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 2nd quarter worth about $64,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Phoenix Education Partners during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Phoenix Education Partners during the second quarter worth about $78,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC boosted its stake in Phoenix Education Partners by 23.7% during the first quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 16,162 shares of the company's stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097 shares in the last quarter.

Phoenix Education Partners Company Profile

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc is a higher education company focused on serving working adults and other nontraditional students. Through the University of Phoenix, its principal operating institution, the company provides career-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional certificates, and other educational offerings.

The University of Phoenix primarily delivers instruction through online learning, with programs designed to offer flexible scheduling for students balancing education with employment and other responsibilities.

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