QRG Capital Management Inc. Buys 24,699 Shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) by 99.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 49,541 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,699 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Pearson were worth $799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in shares of Pearson during the 4th quarter worth $4,780,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Pearson by 31.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 405,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,536,000 after acquiring an additional 97,443 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Pearson by 55.8% in the third 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 last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in Pearson by 61.1% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 153,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,081,000 after purchasing an additional 58,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 47,296 shares during the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Pearson Stock Performance

NYSE PSO opened at $17.77 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $16.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.16. The stock has a market cap of $11.84 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.78. Pearson plc has a fifty-two week low of $11.78 and a fifty-two week high of $17.90.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.2092 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This is a boost from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.21%.

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.