Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Shares Bought by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 844,228 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 279,369 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Pearson were worth $13,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PSO. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Pearson during the 4th quarter worth $4,780,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pearson by 20.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 275,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,736,000 after buying an additional 47,296 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Pearson by 55.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 172,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 61,666 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Pearson by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 154,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,490,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in Pearson by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 145,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,978,000 after acquiring an additional 20,461 shares during the period. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PSO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Pearson in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, National Bankshares set a $18.00 target price on shares of Pearson in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Pearson Stock Performance

Shares of PSO stock opened at $15.37 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.53. The company has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.38. Pearson plc has a 12-month low of $11.78 and a 12-month high of $17.90.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.2092 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.62%.

Pearson Company Profile

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.