StockNews.com Upgrades Franklin Covey (NYSE:FC) to “Strong-Buy”

Franklin Covey (NYSE:FC) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Northland Securities cut their price target on shares of Franklin Covey from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Franklin Covey in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Franklin Covey in a research report on Thursday.

Franklin Covey Price Performance

Shares of FC opened at $38.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.99. Franklin Covey has a fifty-two week low of $32.19 and a fifty-two week high of $48.76. The stock has a market cap of $504.26 million, a PE ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Franklin Covey (NYSE:FC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The business services provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $73.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.12 million. Franklin Covey had a return on equity of 24.90% and a net margin of 6.50%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Franklin Covey will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new position in Franklin Covey during the first quarter valued at $6,862,000. Bares Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Franklin Covey by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Bares Capital Management Inc. now owns 458,091 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $19,941,000 after purchasing an additional 45,290 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Franklin Covey by 12.2% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 238,455 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,357,000 after purchasing an additional 25,876 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Franklin Covey by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 703,603 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,623,000 after purchasing an additional 24,062 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Covey by 92.9% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,444 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after buying an additional 13,220 shares in the last quarter. 69.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Franklin Covey

Franklin Covey Co provides training and consulting services in the areas of execution, sales performance, productivity, customer loyalty, and educational improvement for organizations and individuals worldwide. The company operates through Direct Offices, International Licensees, and Education Practice segments.