Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 12,658 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 2% from the previous session’s volume of 12,450 shares.The stock last traded at $910.47 and had previously closed at $919.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Graham Trading Up 1.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $904.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $836.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Graham (NYSE:GHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $17.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Graham had a return on equity of 5.79% and a net margin of 4.86%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter.

Graham Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $1.80 dividend. This is an increase from Graham’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.72. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. Graham’s payout ratio is presently 13.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of Graham 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 owns 442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,534.60. The trade was a 26.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graham

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Graham by 558.3% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Graham by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Graham by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graham by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Graham in the 3rd quarter worth about $168,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

About Graham

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.