Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Trading Up 3.6% – What’s Next?

Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) shares rose 3.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $21.57 and last traded at $21.56. Approximately 17,584 shares were traded during 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 report on Saturday, October 5th.

Scholastic Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.20. The firm has a market cap of $596.58 million, a PE ratio of 37.91 and a beta of 1.07.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.48). Scholastic had a return on equity of 4.32% and a net margin of 1.49%. Equities analysts predict that Scholastic Co. will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Scholastic Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given 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 dividend yield of 3.77%. Scholastic’s payout ratio is -444.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Scholastic

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