Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Stock Price Up 3.6% – Still a Buy?

Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) shares rose 3.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $21.57 and last traded at $21.56. Approximately 17,584 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 220,784 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Scholastic Stock Up 2.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.06. The stock has a market cap of $599.39 million, a P/E ratio of 38.09 and a beta of 1.07.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The company reported $1.82 EPS 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, equities research analysts forecast that Scholastic Co. will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. Scholastic’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -444.44%.

Institutional Trading of Scholastic

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCHL. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Scholastic during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Scholastic during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Scholastic by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new stake in shares of Scholastic during the 3rd quarter valued at $243,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Scholastic during the 2nd quarter worth $279,000. 82.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Scholastic Company 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.