Wall Street Zen Downgrades Pearson (NYSE:PSO) to Buy

Pearson (NYSE:PSO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Pearson in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company.

Pearson Price Performance

Shares of PSO traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $14.86. 641,269 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 499,211. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $15.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.00. The company has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Pearson has a 1 year low of $12.33 and a 1 year high of $17.90.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pearson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter valued at about $11,546,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Pearson by 69.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 705,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,375,000 after buying an additional 288,114 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in shares of Pearson by 135.5% during the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 495,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,992,000 after buying an additional 285,234 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Pearson by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,609,000 after buying an additional 279,369 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter valued at about $3,401,000. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pearson Company Profile

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.