Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, a growth of 43.9% from the January 15th total of 958,900 shares. Currently, 6.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 300,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Scholastic Price Performance

Shares of SCHL stock traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $20.13. The stock had a trading volume of 378,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 311,365. Scholastic has a 12 month low of $17.72 and a 12 month high of $40.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $565.67 million, a PE ratio of -111.83 and a beta of 1.08. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $20.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.59.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.48). Scholastic had a positive return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 0.27%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Scholastic will post 0.84 EPS for the current year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Scholastic's payout ratio is currently -444.44%.

Institutional Trading of Scholastic

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SCHL. J. Goldman & Co LP bought a new position in shares of Scholastic during the fourth quarter valued at $18,892,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 248.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 293,754 shares of the company's stock worth $6,266,000 after purchasing an additional 209,524 shares during the period. Azarias Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. now owns 467,783 shares of the company's stock worth $9,978,000 after acquiring an additional 195,507 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Scholastic by 81.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 317,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,782,000 after purchasing an additional 142,954 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Scholastic by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 434,357 shares of the company's stock worth $9,265,000 after acquiring an additional 85,882 shares in the last quarter. 82.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation publishes and distributes children's books worldwide. It operates in three segments: Children's Book Publishing and Distribution, Education Solutions, and International. The Children's Book Publishing and Distribution segment engages in publication and distribution of children's print, digital, and audio books, as well as media and interactive products through its school reading events and trade channel; and operation of school-based book clubs and book fairs in the United States.