Pearson’s (PSON) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at Shore Capital

Shore Capital reiterated their buy rating on shares of Pearson (LON:PSON) in a report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,200 ($14.82) to GBX 1,220 ($15.07) and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on Pearson from GBX 975 ($12.04) to GBX 965 ($11.92) and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th.

Pearson Stock Down 0.5 %

Pearson stock opened at GBX 987 ($12.19) on Friday. The firm has a market cap of £6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,862.26, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31. Pearson has a 52-week low of GBX 749.40 ($9.26) and a 52-week high of GBX 1,046.50 ($12.93). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.19, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 1,003.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 970.41.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 21st will be given a GBX 15.70 ($0.19) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.63%. This is a positive change from Pearson’s previous dividend of $7.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 21st. Pearson’s payout ratio is presently 4,339.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Graeme Pitkethly bought 210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 1,037 ($12.81) per share, with a total value of £2,177.70 ($2,689.85). Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

About Pearson

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.