Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $988.26 and last traded at $949.03, with a volume of 12317 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $911.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Graham Stock Up 3.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $906.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $859.42.

Graham Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is a boost from Graham’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Graham’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total value of $140,126.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Graham

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Graham by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 31 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Graham by 558.3% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Graham by 60.0% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Graham by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position 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 buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.