Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $716,000 Stock Position in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Kentucky Retirement Systems reduced its position in shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,998 shares of the company’s stock after selling 358 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in News were worth $716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of News during the third quarter worth $39,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of News during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of News during the third quarter worth $85,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of News by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of News during the fourth quarter worth $137,000. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

News Stock Performance

Shares of News stock opened at $28.46 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. News Co. has a twelve month low of $22.65 and a twelve month high of $30.69. The stock has a market cap of $16.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.99 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s fifty day moving average is $28.23 and its 200 day moving average is $27.79.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a net margin of 4.22% and a return on equity of 5.31%. Sell-side analysts forecast that News Co. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

News Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NWSA. Citigroup began coverage on shares of News in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, News presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.25.

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.