Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Makes New $1.22 Million Investment in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 75,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,224,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PSO. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Pearson by 45.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,418 shares of the company's stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 2,637 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pearson by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,263 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Pearson by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 844,228 shares of the company's stock worth $13,609,000 after purchasing an additional 279,369 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pearson by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 56,989 shares of the company's stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 9,394 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Pearson by 103.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 31,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 15,867 shares during the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pearson Price Performance

NYSE PSO traded up $0.13 on Friday, hitting $15.63. 1,370,232 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 437,416. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.42. Pearson plc has a 1-year low of $11.78 and a 1-year high of $17.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.62.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.2092 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This is a positive change from Pearson's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. Pearson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Pearson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. National Bankshares set a $18.00 price objective on Pearson in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Pearson in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company.

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.