Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Grows Stake in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) by 169.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,382 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,498 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Pearson were worth $29,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 13D Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pearson by 35.5% during the third quarter. 13D Management LLC now owns 757,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,985,000 after acquiring an additional 198,674 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of Pearson by 43.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 132,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after purchasing an additional 39,939 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Pearson by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 83,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 10,893 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Pearson by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 53,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 6,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 17.1% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 41,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 6,025 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

Pearson Price Performance

NYSE:PSO traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.41. 362,397 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 463,619. Pearson plc has a 52 week low of $9.77 and a 52 week high of $13.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.22.

Pearson Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pearson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,056.67.

Pearson 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.