News (NASDAQ:NWS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

News Co. (NASDAQ:NWS) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $34.98 and last traded at $34.75, with a volume of 18001 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

News Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $18.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.12 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company’s 50-day moving average is $31.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.04.

News (NASDAQ:NWS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.01). News had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 4.22%. As a group, equities analysts predict that News Co. will post 1.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

News Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. News’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.40%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On News

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of News by 123.7% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 935 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of News by 136.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of News in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new stake in shares of News in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of News by 253.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,449 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 14.63% of the company’s stock.

News Company Profile

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.