Short Interest in Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) Drops By 16.6%

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 692,700 shares, a decline of 16.6% from the November 30th total of 830,600 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 357,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Institutional Trading of Pearson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PSO. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Pearson by 86.9% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Pearson in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pearson by 86.6% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 2,096 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Pearson by 78.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 2,186 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Pearson by 12.5% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 11,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. 2.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pearson Stock Performance

Shares of Pearson stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.12. The company had a trading volume of 215,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 367,443. The stock has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 18.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.41. Pearson has a 1-year low of $11.69 and a 1-year high of $16.30. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Pearson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

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.