Relx Plc (NYSE:RELX) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Relx Plc (NYSE:RELX - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

RELX has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Relx from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Relx in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Barclays upgraded Relx from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Relx in a report on Wednesday, April 16th.

Institutional Trading of Relx

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Group Foundation purchased a new position in shares of Relx in the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Relx by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC now owns 81,600 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,706,000 after acquiring an additional 11,900 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Relx by 120.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 12,066 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 6,588 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Relx in the 4th quarter valued at $301,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Relx by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 143,483 shares of the technology company's stock worth $6,517,000 after buying an additional 23,183 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.02% of the company's stock.

Relx Price Performance

Shares of RELX stock traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $54.26. The stock had a trading volume of 178,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 692,184. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.17, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.86. Relx has a one year low of $43.28 and a one year high of $55.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $50.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.84.

Relx Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.5586 per share. This is a positive change from Relx's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.23. This represents a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Relx's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.68%.

About Relx

RELX Plc engages in provision of information and analytics solutions for professional and business customers across industries. It operates through the following business segments: Scientific, Technical & Medical; Risk & Business Analytics; Legal; and Exhibitions. The Scientific, Technical & Medical segment is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals advance healthcare, open science, and improve performance for the benefit of humanity.