News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $39.25.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on News in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company.

News Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of News stock opened at $28.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.47 and a beta of 1.35. News has a 52-week low of $22.65 and a 52-week high of $30.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.80.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 4.22%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that News will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

News Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. News’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.40%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NWSA. Seelaus Asset Management LLC increased its position in News by 3.8% during the third quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 11,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in News by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in News by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 11,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Boyar Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in News by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Boyar Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of News by 18.5% during 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 last quarter. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

News Company Profile

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.