Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Declares Semi-annual Dividend of $0.21

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) announced a semi-annual dividend on Friday, February 28th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of 0.2092 per share on Friday, May 16th. This represents a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This is a 120.2% increase from Pearson’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10.

Pearson has increased its dividend by an average of 2.3% per year over the last three years. Pearson has a dividend payout ratio of 44.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Pearson to earn $0.83 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.42 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 50.6%.

Pearson Stock Down 1.0 %

PSO opened at $16.43 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $10.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $16.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Pearson has a 12 month low of $11.78 and a 12 month high of $17.90.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. National Bankshares set a $18.00 price objective on Pearson in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Pearson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Pearson to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Pearson Company Profile

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.