Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average of $12.09

Shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $12.09 and traded as high as $12.40. Pearson shares last traded at $12.31, with a volume of 337,637 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,056.67.

Pearson Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $12.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 22nd will be issued a $0.1987 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.07.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Pearson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $9,553,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Pearson by 379.2% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 707,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 559,559 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Pearson by 5,388.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 481,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,425,000 after purchasing an additional 472,637 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Pearson by 380.4% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 510,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,340,000 after purchasing an additional 404,607 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Pearson by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,659,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,542,000 after purchasing an additional 397,676 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 2.14% 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.