Pearson (LON:PSON) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average of $968.58

Shares of Pearson plc (LON:PSON) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 968.58 ($11.96) and traded as high as GBX 1,000.50 ($12.36). Pearson shares last traded at GBX 991.60 ($12.25), with a volume of 1,293,539 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Pearson from GBX 975 ($12.04) to GBX 965 ($11.92) and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,200 ($14.82) to GBX 1,220 ($15.07) and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th.

Pearson Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 1,003.22 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 968.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.19. The stock has a market capitalization of £6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 1,862.26, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of GBX 15.70 ($0.19) per share. This represents a yield of 1.63%. This is an increase from Pearson’s previous dividend of $7.00. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 21st. Pearson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4,339.62%.

Insider Activity at Pearson

In other news, insider Graeme Pitkethly purchased 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 1,037 ($12.81) per share, for a total transaction of £2,177.70 ($2,689.85). 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.