John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLY) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE:WLY)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $37.91, but opened at $42.52. John Wiley & Sons shares last traded at $41.45, with a volume of 67,259 shares changing hands.

The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $404.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $401.10 million. John Wiley & Sons had a negative net margin of 2.82% and a positive return on equity of 24.14%.

John Wiley & Sons Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $0.3525 per share. This represents a $1.41 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. This is a positive change from John Wiley & Sons’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. John Wiley & Sons’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -154.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Wiley & Sons

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in John Wiley & Sons by 686.1% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 621 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in John Wiley & Sons during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in John Wiley & Sons by 114.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in John Wiley & Sons during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in John Wiley & Sons during the third quarter valued at $57,000. 73.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

John Wiley & Sons Stock Up 5.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.71 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50-day moving average is $41.56 and its 200-day moving average is $45.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

John Wiley & Sons Company Profile

John Wiley & Sons, Inc engages in the provision of research and learning materials. It operates through the following segments: Research, Learning, and Held for Sale or Sold. The Research segment consists of research publishing and research solutions. The Learning segment includes academic and professional reporting lines and consists of publishing and related knowledge solutions.