Graham (NYSE:GHC) Shares Down 6.1%

Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) shares fell 6.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $765.12 and last traded at $765.12. 3,159 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 15,856 shares. The stock had previously closed at $815.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Graham from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th.

Graham Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.54 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $734.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $730.32.

Graham (NYSE:GHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $11.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter. Graham had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 5.39%.

Graham Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 18th will be paid a $1.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. This represents a $6.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Graham’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graham

In other Graham news, Director Anne M. Mulcahy acquired 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $745.07 per share, for a total transaction of $100,584.45. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 662 shares in the company, valued at $493,236.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Graham during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,160,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Graham by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 371,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,990,000 after buying an additional 20,629 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graham during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,230,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in Graham by 31.0% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 30,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,219,000 after purchasing an additional 7,179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graham in the 1st quarter valued at $5,256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.54% of the company’s stock.

About Graham

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.