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

Pearson plc (LON:PSON)’s share price crossed 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 traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Pearson Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 1,003.22 and its 200 day simple moving average 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 cap of £6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,862.26, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31.

Pearson Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Graeme Pitkethly purchased 210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 1,037 ($12.81) per share, with a total value 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.