Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stake in Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL)

Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) by 65.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 111,703 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,004 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Scholastic were worth $2,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SCHL. Azarias Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Scholastic by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. now owns 467,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,978,000 after acquiring an additional 195,507 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 568,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,120,000 after purchasing an additional 66,027 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Scholastic by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 621,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,264,000 after buying an additional 58,483 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Scholastic by 291.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after buying an additional 30,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in Scholastic by 288.5% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 35,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $750,000 after buying an additional 26,111 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.57% of the company’s stock.

Scholastic Price Performance

Shares of SCHL stock opened at $18.24 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Scholastic Co. has a one year low of $17.48 and a one year high of $38.77. The company has a market capitalization of $512.56 million, a P/E ratio of -101.33 and a beta of 1.10.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.78) by $0.73. The company had revenue of $335.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $347.68 million. Scholastic had a positive return on equity of 1.91% and a negative net margin of 0.27%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Scholastic Co. will post 0.84 EPS for the current year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. Scholastic’s payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

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.