Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Stock Rating Lowered by B. Riley Financial

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) was downgraded by analysts at B. Riley Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Monday,Finviz reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Scholastic from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research cut shares of Scholastic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.00.

Scholastic Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of Scholastic stock opened at $36.05 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $917.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -180.25 and a beta of 1.17. Scholastic has a 52-week low of $15.77 and a 52-week high of $36.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.88.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.10. Scholastic had a positive return on equity of 2.66% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The business had revenue of $551.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $556.72 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Scholastic will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Scholastic

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCHL. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Scholastic by 458.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 2,593 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Scholastic by 63.1% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 983 shares during the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Scholastic during the 4th quarter worth approximately $116,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Scholastic during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $137,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Scholastic by 127.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,912 shares during the last quarter. 82.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is a global company dedicated to children’s publishing, education technology and distribution services. The company’s core business encompasses three primary segments: Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution, Education Technology, and International operations. Through its publishing arm, Scholastic produces and distributes a wide range of children’s books, novels, nonfiction titles and classroom magazines under well-known imprints such as Scholastic Press, Graphix and Chicken House.