Pearson (LON:PSON) Stock 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 Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 1,207.15 ($15.62) and traded as high as GBX 1,220.14 ($15.79). Pearson shares last traded at GBX 1,216 ($15.74), with a volume of 342,507,469 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Pearson from GBX 1,400 ($18.12) to GBX 1,450 ($18.77) and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Pearson Trading Down 0.1 %

The stock's 50-day moving average price is GBX 1,300.99 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 1,210.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 42.49, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market capitalization of £8.28 billion, a PE ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.31.

Pearson (LON:PSON - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The company reported GBX 62.10 ($0.80) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Pearson had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 9.83%.

Pearson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a GBX 16.60 ($0.21) dividend. This is an increase from Pearson's previous dividend of $7.40. This represents a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Pearson's payout ratio is presently 44.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Omar Abbosh sold 77,989 shares of Pearson stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,296 ($16.77), for a total value of £1,010,737.44 ($1,308,228.63). 0.35% of the stock is owned by 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.