Pearson (LON:PSON) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Shares of Pearson plc (LON:PSON - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 1,200.88 ($15.57) and traded as high as GBX 1,266.50 ($16.42). Pearson shares last traded at GBX 1,261.39 ($16.36), with a volume of 1,101,889 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Pearson from GBX 1,400 ($18.15) to GBX 1,450 ($18.80) and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th.

Pearson Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 42.49. The firm has a market capitalization of £7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 1,309.85 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 1,202.81.

Pearson (LON:PSON - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported GBX 62.10 ($0.81) EPS for the quarter. Pearson had a net margin of 9.83% and a return on equity of 8.98%.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a GBX 16.60 ($0.22) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Pearson's previous dividend of $7.40. Pearson's payout ratio is presently 44.58%.

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Insider Activity at Pearson

In related news, insider Omar Abbosh sold 77,989 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,296 ($16.80), for a total transaction of £1,010,737.44 ($1,310,603.53). 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Pearson Company Profile

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world's leading learning company, serving customers in c.200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data.