Blueshift Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 75.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,897 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35,998 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in News were worth $328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of News by 6.4% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 32,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,965 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of News by 1.2% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 60,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,612,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of News in the third quarter valued at about $562,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of News by 1,815.4% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,413,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,632,000 after purchasing an additional 1,339,379 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of News in the third quarter valued at about $358,000. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NWSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on News in a report on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised News to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital dropped their target price on News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. StockNews.com raised News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, News presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.25.

News Stock Performance

Shares of NWSA stock opened at $27.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.04 and a beta of 1.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $28.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. News Co. has a 12-month low of $22.65 and a 12-month high of $30.69.

News (NASDAQ:NWSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.04. News had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 4.22%. Analysts expect that News Co. will post 0.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

News Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.40%.

News 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.