Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 10,478 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the previous session’s volume of 14,567 shares.The stock last traded at $921.52 and had previously closed at $928.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Graham from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Graham Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.59 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $904.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $841.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Graham Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a $1.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from Graham’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.72. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Graham’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total value of $140,126.70. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,534.60. This trade represents a 26.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 32.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GHC. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in Graham during the second quarter valued at approximately $637,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graham during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,743,000. Truist Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Graham by 1.1% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,387,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Graham by 7.2% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 7,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,301,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graham during the third quarter valued at approximately $168,000. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.