Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL) Short Interest Up 31.7% in December

by · The Markets Daily

Scholastic Co. (NASDAQ:SCHL – Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 904,500 shares, an increase of 31.7% from the December 15th total of 687,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 268,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Scholastic Stock Performance

SCHL stock traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $20.00. 192,088 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 301,956. The firm has a market capitalization of $562 million, a PE ratio of -111.10 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $23.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.97. Scholastic has a 52 week low of $18.57 and a 52 week high of $40.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.48). Scholastic had a negative net margin of 0.27% and a positive return on equity of 1.91%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Scholastic will post 0.84 EPS for the current year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. Scholastic’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -444.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Scholastic from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 5th.

View Our Latest Research Report on Scholastic

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Scholastic by 18.1% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,120,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,744,000 after buying an additional 171,775 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 744.3% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 65,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,101,000 after acquiring an additional 57,852 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Scholastic by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 488,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,319,000 after acquiring an additional 56,835 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Scholastic by 45.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 182,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,478,000 after acquiring an additional 56,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Scholastic in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,936,000. 82.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Scholastic Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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 print, digital, and audio books, as well as media and interactive products through its school reading events and trade channel; and operation of school-based book clubs and book fairs in the United States.

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