News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) Holdings Lifted by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 31.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,204 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,557 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in News were worth $1,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in News during the 3rd quarter worth $358,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in News by 55.9% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 91,620 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,440,000 after purchasing an additional 32,866 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in News in the 3rd quarter valued at about $422,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in News by 381.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 192,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,138,000 after buying an additional 152,864 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of News during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,551,000. 66.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup initiated coverage on News in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital decreased their target price on News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $39.25.

News Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ:NWSA opened at $26.59 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.80. 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 capitalization of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43 and a beta of 1.34. News Co. has a 1-year low of $22.65 and a 1-year high of $30.69.

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

News Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. News’s dividend payout ratio is 27.40%.

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.