Barclays PLC Grows Stock Position in Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) by 291.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,228 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 30,699 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Scholastic were worth $1,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Scholastic by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,120,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,744,000 after purchasing an additional 171,775 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Scholastic by 744.3% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 65,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,101,000 after acquiring an additional 57,852 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Scholastic by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 488,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,319,000 after buying an additional 56,835 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Scholastic by 45.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 182,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,478,000 after purchasing an additional 56,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Scholastic in the 2nd quarter worth $1,936,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.57% of the company’s stock.

Scholastic Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SCHL opened at $21.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.14. Scholastic Co. has a 1 year low of $19.14 and a 1 year high of $40.74. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $25.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.36. The company has a market capitalization of $599.04 million, a PE ratio of 38.02 and a beta of 1.07.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.48). Scholastic had a return on equity of 4.32% and a net margin of 1.49%. On average, research analysts predict that Scholastic Co. will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Scholastic Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. Scholastic’s payout ratio is currently -444.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Scholastic from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 5th.

Scholastic Profile

Scholastic Corporation publishes and distributes children’s books worldwide. It operates in three segments: Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution, Education Solutions, and International. The Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution segment engages in publication and distribution of children’s print, digital, and audio books, as well as media and interactive products through its school reading events and trade channel; and operation of school-based book clubs and book fairs in the United States.