Larson Financial Group LLC Purchases 1,005 Shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 2,392.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,047 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,005 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in News were worth $29,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in News in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in News in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in News by 49.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in News in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $85,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in News by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 66.97% of the company’s stock.

News Price Performance

NWSA opened at $26.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.73. News Co. has a 52-week low of $22.65 and a 52-week high of $30.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a PE ratio of 36.01 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $28.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.82.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 4.22%. On average, equities research analysts predict that News Co. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

News Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. News’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NWSA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Seaport Res Ptn raised News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup began coverage on News in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital reduced their target price on News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, News has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.25.

About News

News Corporation, a media and information services company, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services for consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through six segments: Digital Real Estate Services, Subscription Video Services, Dow Jones, Book Publishing, News Media, and Other.