Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $19.00 and last traded at $19.07, with a volume of 94729 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Scholastic from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 5th.

Scholastic Stock Down 4.6 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $24.31 and a 200-day moving average of $28.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $533.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.88 and a beta of 1.10.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.48). Scholastic had a net margin of 1.49% and a return on equity of 4.32%. Sell-side analysts predict that Scholastic Co. will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Scholastic's dividend payout ratio is currently -444.44%.

Institutional Trading of Scholastic

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Scholastic during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,936,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Scholastic by 291.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,228 shares of the company's stock worth $1,319,000 after acquiring an additional 30,699 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Scholastic in the 2nd quarter worth $1,295,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Scholastic by 9.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 502,179 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,075,000 after purchasing an additional 41,864 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Scholastic by 58.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 869 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.