Gitterman Wealth Management LLC Increases Stake in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

Gitterman Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,397 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,276 shares during the period. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Pearson were worth $248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PSO. ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in Pearson in the 4th quarter valued at $4,780,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Pearson by 31.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 405,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,536,000 after purchasing an additional 97,443 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Pearson by 55.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 172,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,337,000 after buying an additional 61,666 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Pearson by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 275,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,736,000 after buying an additional 47,296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Pearson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $628,000. 2.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Pearson Price Performance

NYSE PSO opened at $16.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $16.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.32. 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 52-week low of $11.78 and a 52-week high of $17.90.

Pearson Increases Dividend

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