Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Given New $40.00 Price Target at B. Riley Financial

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) had its target price raised by equities researchers at B. Riley Financial from $37.00 to $40.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. B. Riley Financial’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.29% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on SCHL. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Scholastic from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Scholastic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.00.

Scholastic Stock Performance

Shares of Scholastic stock traded up $3.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $37.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,292,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,218. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.35. The stock has a market cap of $948.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -186.46 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Scholastic has a 12-month low of $15.77 and a 12-month high of $38.94.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.60) by $0.45. Scholastic had a negative net margin of 0.21% and a positive return on equity of 2.66%. The business had revenue of $329.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $331.53 million. As a group, analysts predict that Scholastic will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Scholastic

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SCHL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Scholastic by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Scholastic by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Scholastic by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 20,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $617,000 after acquiring an additional 824 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its stake in shares of Scholastic by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 25,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Scholastic by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201 shares during the period. 82.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Scholastic News

Here are the key news stories impacting Scholastic this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 EPS beat consensus: Scholastic reported EPS of ($0.15), well ahead of the consensus loss estimate of ($0.60), signaling better-than-expected operating performance. Scholastic Q3 Press Release / Slides
• Positive Sentiment: Large $200M modified Dutch-auction tender offer announced (part of a $300M repurchase program) with an expected purchase price range of $36–$40, supporting per?share value and reducing share count. Scholastic Announces $200M Tender Offer
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share, demonstrating shareholder-return focus alongside buybacks. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet actions: management cited >$400M net proceeds from sale-leasebacks and set a long-term net leverage target of 2.0–2.5x adjusted EBITDA — a framework that supports disciplined buybacks and credit-profile improvement. Q3 Results & Strategy Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improving: at least one outlet flagged a rating upgrade / more constructive outlook on the recovery and capital returns. Seeking Alpha: Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcripts are available for detailed review (useful for assessing guidance, segment trends and margin drivers). Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations: Q3 revenue of $329.1M vs. consensus ~$331.5M, with specific weakness in children’s book sales; the company remains modestly unprofitable on a net?margin basis. Investing.com: Revenue Miss / Book Sales Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Company still posted a GAAP loss (EPS negative year?over?year) and has a negative net margin, so operational recovery and sustainable profitability remain investor considerations. Zacks: Q3 Loss / Revenue Miss

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is a global company dedicated to children’s publishing, education technology and distribution services. The company’s core business encompasses three primary segments: Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution, Education Technology, and International operations. Through its publishing arm, Scholastic produces and distributes a wide range of children’s books, novels, nonfiction titles and classroom magazines under well-known imprints such as Scholastic Press, Graphix and Chicken House.