Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) Short Interest Update

Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 4,153,239 shares, a growth of 56.3% from the July 30th total of 2,657,247 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 804,860 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pearson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Pearson by 34.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,971,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015,739 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pearson during the first quarter worth $11,546,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Pearson by 72.5% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,645,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,605,000 after buying an additional 691,339 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in Pearson by 1,072.4% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 605,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,043,000 after buying an additional 554,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Pearson in the fourth quarter valued at $6,515,000. 2.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pearson Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Pearson stock opened at $16.49 on Wednesday. Pearson has a one year low of $12.02 and a one year high of $17.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.89.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PSO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Pearson Company Profile

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.