AlphaQuest LLC Has $1.18 Million Position in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its holdings in shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA - Free Report) by 55.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,793 shares of the company's stock after selling 52,982 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in News were worth $1,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NWSA. Seelaus Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of News by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 11,399 shares of the company's stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of News by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 11,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of News by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,334 shares of the company's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in News by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 12,518 shares of the company's stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in News by 49.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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News Price Performance

NASDAQ:NWSA traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $26.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,910,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,989,401. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The company has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01 and a beta of 1.34. News Co. has a twelve month low of $22.65 and a twelve month high of $30.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.82.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a net margin of 4.22% and a return on equity of 5.31%. On average, analysts anticipate that News Co. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

News Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. News's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NWSA has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded News from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group raised shares of News from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of News in a report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, News currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $39.25.

News Company Profile

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.