EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) by 39.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,807 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Pearson were worth $110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PSO. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Pearson by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Pearson by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 59,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,710 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pearson during the 4th quarter worth $225,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 70,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 6,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Pearson in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PSO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Pearson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $18.00 target price on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Pearson Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of PSO opened at $16.43 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.37. Pearson plc has a twelve month low of $11.78 and a twelve month high of $17.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.38.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.2092 dividend. This is a positive change from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Pearson’s payout ratio is currently 43.62%.

About Pearson

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.