Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

Separately, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Barnes & Noble Education in a research report on Friday, May 24th.

Barnes & Noble Education Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE BNED opened at $11.48 on Thursday. Barnes & Noble Education has a 1 year low of $6.05 and a 1 year high of $226.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.72 and a 200 day moving average of $30.37. The stock has a market cap of $300.89 million, a P/E ratio of -0.15 and a beta of 2.13.

Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 1st. The specialty retailer reported ($7.11) EPS for the quarter. Barnes & Noble Education had a negative return on equity of 27.68% and a negative net margin of 7.17%. The company had revenue of $235.92 million during the quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Barnes & Noble Education news, Director William C. Martin bought 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $7.19 per share, for a total transaction of $273,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 125,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $901,920.79. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Barnes & Noble Education news, Director William C. Martin bought 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.19 per share, with a total value of $273,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 125,441 shares in the company, valued at $901,920.79. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Eric Singer bought 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.15 per share, for a total transaction of $146,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 112,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,394.15. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 116,000 shares of company stock worth $838,720 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barnes & Noble Education

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. DCF Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Barnes & Noble Education during the 2nd quarter valued at $496,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Barnes & Noble Education during the first quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Greenhaven Road Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Barnes & Noble Education by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Greenhaven Road Investment Management L.P. now owns 5,256,342 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,832,000 after acquiring an additional 90,003 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 38.51% of the company’s stock.

Barnes & Noble Education Company Profile

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc operates bookstores for college and university campuses, and K-12 institutions in the United States. It operates through Retail and Wholesale segments. The company sells and rents new and used print textbooks, digital textbooks, and publisher hosted digital courseware through physical and virtual bookstores, as well as directly to students through Textbooks.com.