News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) Stake Lessened by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. cut its stake in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 84.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,756 shares of the company’s stock after selling 199,288 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in News were worth $1,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in News by 2,392.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in News during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in News during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in News by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of News in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $85,000. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

News Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NWSA opened at $26.98 on Friday. News Co. has a 1 year low of $22.65 and a 1 year high of $30.69. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.31 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96 and a beta of 1.34.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a net margin of 4.22% and a return on equity of 5.31%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that News Co. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

News Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NWSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of News in a research report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.25.

News Profile

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.