Pearson plc (PSO) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 21st

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) declared a semi-annual dividend on Friday, February 28th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of 0.2092 per share on Friday, May 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This is a 120.2% increase from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10.

Pearson has increased its dividend by an average of 2.3% per year over the last three years. Pearson has a dividend payout ratio of 44.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Pearson to earn $0.83 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.42 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 50.6%.

Pearson Price Performance

Pearson stock opened at $16.43 on Wednesday. Pearson has a one year low of $11.78 and a one year high of $17.90. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $16.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PSO has been the subject of several 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 Pearson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $18.00 price objective on Pearson in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

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.