Short Interest in Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) Drops By 17.1%

Key Points

• Short interest in Pearson (NYSE:PSO) fell 17.1% to 2,688,234 shares as of March 31, leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 2.1 and about 0.4% of the float shorted.
• Pearson carries a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 Strong Buy, 1 Buy, 4 Hold), with recent mixed analyst actions including Kepler's upgrade to Hold and Citigroup initiating coverage with a Buy.
• The company announced a $0.2346 per-share dividend payable May 15 (record/ex-dividend date March 20); the article reports a yield of 368.0% for this dividend.

Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,688,234 shares, a drop of 17.1% from the March 15th total of 3,241,684 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,265,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PSO shares. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Pearson from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pearson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Pearson in a report on Monday, January 12th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Pearson from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Pearson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Pearson Price Performance

NYSE:PSO traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $14.60. 1,570,455 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,177,743. The firm's 50-day moving average is $12.95 and its 200-day moving average is $13.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Pearson has a 1-year low of $12.02 and a 1-year high of $16.67.

Pearson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.2346 per share. This represents a yield of 368.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pearson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Pearson by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 42,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Pearson by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,000 after buying an additional 922 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 24,482 shares of the company's stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 120,197 shares of the company's stock worth $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,947 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.14% of the company's stock.

About Pearson

Pearson plc is a global education company headquartered in London, England, with significant operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Tracing its roots back to 1844, Pearson evolved from its early beginnings into one of the world's leading providers of educational content, digital learning tools, and assessment services. The company's American subsidiary trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PSO.

Pearson's core business encompasses a broad portfolio of products and services for learners, educators, and institutions.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.