Sei Investments Co. Has $17.75 Million Stake in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Sei Investments Co. lessened its position in shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 644,435 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80,976 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in News were worth $17,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NWSA. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of News by 2,392.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,005 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in News during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of News in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of News in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in News by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.97% of the company’s stock.

News Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NWSA opened at $26.94 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $15.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.90 and a beta of 1.34. News Co. has a 12 month low of $22.65 and a 12 month high of $30.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.15 and a 200-day moving average of $27.77.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that News Co. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

News Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on NWSA shares. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Loop Capital dropped their target price on News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Citigroup started coverage on News in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upgraded News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, News presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.25.

News Company 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.