Quantinno Capital Management LP Buys 9,599 Shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 155,343 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,599 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Pearson were worth $2,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ethic Inc. grew its stake in Pearson by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 169,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,737,000 after acquiring an additional 53,744 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Pearson during the 4th quarter valued at $192,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Pearson by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 190,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,069,000 after buying an additional 32,574 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in shares of Pearson in the fourth quarter valued at $899,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pearson by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PSO. National Bankshares set a $18.00 target price on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Pearson in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Pearson Stock Up 1.0%

Pearson stock opened at $16.51 on Wednesday. Pearson plc has a fifty-two week low of $11.78 and a fifty-two week high of $17.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.03. The stock has a market cap of $10.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.62.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a $0.2092 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This is an increase from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. Pearson’s payout ratio is presently 46.81%.

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.