Graham (NYSE:GHC) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $993.49 and last traded at $986.91, with a volume of 20381 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $979.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised Graham from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th.

Graham Stock Down 0.6 %

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $914.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $866.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15 and a beta of 1.13.

Graham Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Graham’s payout ratio is currently 4.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Graham news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total transaction of $140,126.70. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,534.60. The trade was a 26.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 20.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graham

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GHC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Graham by 10.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 21,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,361,000 after buying an additional 1,941 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graham by 8.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,344,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graham during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $437,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graham by 558.3% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graham during the third quarter valued at approximately $453,000. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Graham Company Profile

Graham Holdings Company, through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified education and media company in the United States and internationally. It provides test preparation services and materials; professional training and exam preparation for professional certifications and licensures; and non-academic operations support services to the Purdue University Global; operations support services for online courses and programs; training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals; English-language training, academic preparation programs, and test preparation for English proficiency exams; and A-level examination preparation services, as well as operates colleges, business school, higher education institution, and an online learning institution.