Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) EVP Sells $13,404,000.00 in Stock

Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) EVP Iole Lucchese sold 400,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.51, for a total value of $13,404,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 579,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,410,566.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Scholastic Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of SCHL stock opened at $35.68 on Monday. Scholastic Co. has a 52 week low of $32.50 and a 52 week high of $45.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61 and a beta of 1.05.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The company reported ($0.80) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.80). The business had revenue of $323.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $329.21 million. Scholastic had a return on equity of 5.57% and a net margin of 3.16%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.57) EPS. Analysts expect that Scholastic Co. will post 2.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Scholastic’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Scholastic from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Scholastic

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Scholastic during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in Scholastic in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Scholastic by 57.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Scholastic by 69.8% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.57% of the company’s stock.

About Scholastic

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 books, eBooks, media, and interactive products through its school book clubs and fair channels, and trade channel.