News (NASDAQ:NWS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWS) saw strong trading volume on Monday . 1,046,752 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 43% from the previous session’s volume of 733,296 shares.The stock last traded at $29.96 and had previously closed at $29.66.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

News Trading Up 1.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $17.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

News (NASDAQ:NWS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.01). News had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 4.22%. On average, research analysts expect that News Co. will post 1.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

News Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.40%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On News

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dorsey Wright & Associates raised its holdings in News by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates now owns 109,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,341,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in News by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in News by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in News by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 29,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in News by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 29,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. 14.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.