Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) shares saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 12,905 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 9% from the previous session’s volume of 11,804 shares.The stock last traded at $903.70 and had previously closed at $909.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Graham from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Graham Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $906.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $828.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 1.14.

Graham (NYSE:GHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $17.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter. Graham had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 5.79%.

Graham Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. This is an increase from Graham’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Graham’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total transaction of $140,126.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,534.60. This trade represents a 26.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graham

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Graham by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Graham by 82.8% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 969 shares of the company’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Graham by 82.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graham in the 2nd quarter valued at about $637,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in Graham in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,743,000. 93.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Graham

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.