Relx Plc (NYSE:RELX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus from seven brokerages (four buy, one strong buy, two hold), with recent analyst moves including Citigroup upgrading to buy and Zacks and Wall Street Zen downgrading to hold.
• Major institutional buying: Capital International Investors raised its stake by 66.7% to 10.66 million shares (~$433.9M), while Morgan Stanley, Dimensional and others also increased holdings; institutions own about 15.02% of RELX.
• Recent results and payout: RELX reported $42.81 EPS (beating consensus) but revenue of $3.19B missed estimates, and declared a $0.6559 dividend (ex-dividend May 8) that the article states implies a 422.0% yield.

Relx Plc (NYSE:RELX - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Relx from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Relx in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Relx in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Relx from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Relx from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Institutional Trading of Relx

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Relx by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 10,662,595 shares of the technology company's stock worth $433,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,264,474 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Relx by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,279,696 shares of the technology company's stock worth $253,825,000 after purchasing an additional 408,833 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Relx by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,502,488 shares of the technology company's stock worth $141,583,000 after purchasing an additional 56,363 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Relx by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,390,649 shares of the technology company's stock worth $164,120,000 after purchasing an additional 46,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Relx by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,430,755 shares of the technology company's stock worth $116,093,000 after purchasing an additional 81,195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.02% of the company's stock.

Relx Stock Performance

Shares of RELX stock opened at $36.54 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.18. Relx has a 52 week low of $27.57 and a 52 week high of $56.33.

Relx (NYSE:RELX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The technology company reported $42.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $41.96. The company had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Relx will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Relx Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.6559 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a yield of 422.0%.

About Relx

RELX plc is a global provider of information, analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The company supplies content, data and analytical services that support decision-making across scientific, technical and medical research, legal and regulatory practice, and risk and business analytics. RELX's offerings are largely delivered via digital platforms and subscription services designed for institutions, corporations and professionals who require specialized, high-value information and workflow solutions.

RELX operates through distinct business lines that include Elsevier, which provides scientific, technical and medical journals, books and online platforms such as research and discovery tools; Legal and Professional services, which deliver legal, regulatory and compliance content and workflow solutions; Risk & Business Analytics, which offers data, analytics and decision tools for insurance, banking, corporate and government risk assessment; and Exhibitions, which organizes industry trade shows and events.

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