Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 111,711 Shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank trimmed its position in shares of News Co. (NASDAQ:NWSA) by 62.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 111,711 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in News were worth $1,888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of News by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 11,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of News by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of News by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 12,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in News by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its position in News by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 60,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,612,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. 66.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

News Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:NWSA opened at $27.15 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $28.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.79. News Co. has a 52-week low of $22.65 and a 52-week high of $30.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a market cap of $15.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.19 and a beta of 1.34.

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

News Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. News’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded News from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on News from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded News to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded News from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on News from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, News currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.25.

News Company 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.