Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.77 and traded as high as $16.65. Pearson shares last traded at $16.46, with a volume of 424,336 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on PSO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Pearson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pearson presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Pearson Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 2.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.80.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.1103 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 137.0%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pearson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 72.5% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,645,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,605,000 after acquiring an additional 691,339 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Pearson by 16.8% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 512,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,734,000 after acquiring an additional 73,788 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 215.5% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 54,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 37,413 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Pearson by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 156,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,202,000 after purchasing an additional 36,302 shares during the period. Finally, Barometer Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Pearson by 545.3% during the fourth quarter. Barometer Capital Management Inc. now owns 64,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $907,000 after purchasing an additional 54,589 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

About Pearson

Pearson plc is a global education company headquartered in London, England, with significant operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Tracing its roots back to 1844, Pearson evolved from its early beginnings into one of the world’s leading providers of educational content, digital learning tools, and assessment services. The company’s American subsidiary trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PSO.

Pearson’s core business encompasses a broad portfolio of products and services for learners, educators, and institutions.