JNBA Financial Advisors Lowers Stake in Pearson, PLC $PSO

JNBA Financial Advisors lowered its stake in shares of Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) by 22.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,252 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,023 shares during the period. JNBA Financial Advisors’ holdings in Pearson were worth $317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Pearson by 2.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,144,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,336,000 after buying an additional 44,349 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter worth $11,546,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Pearson by 1.6% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 716,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,473,000 after purchasing an additional 11,010 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter worth $3,401,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of Pearson by 1.9% during the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 173,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,786,000 after purchasing an additional 3,226 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Price Performance

NYSE PSO opened at $13.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 2.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.96. Pearson, PLC has a 1 year low of $13.27 and a 1 year high of $17.90. The company has a market cap of $9.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.55.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.0892 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 210.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PSO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Monday, August 4th. BNP Paribas raised Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

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.