Pearson (NYSE:PSO) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO) shares reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $15.64 and last traded at $15.4850, with a volume of 398241 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Pearson from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pearson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Pearson Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $14.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pearson

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PSO. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 16.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 71,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 9,977 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pearson in the 1st quarter worth about $11,546,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 10,532.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 25,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after acquiring an additional 25,593 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,144,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,336,000 after acquiring an additional 44,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 672.2% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 261,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,906,000 after acquiring an additional 227,725 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.14% of the company’s stock.

About Pearson

Pearson plc is a global education company headquartered in London, England, with significant operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Tracing its roots back to 1844, Pearson evolved from its early beginnings into one of the world’s leading providers of educational content, digital learning tools, and assessment services. The company’s American subsidiary trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PSO.

Pearson’s core business encompasses a broad portfolio of products and services for learners, educators, and institutions.