Short Interest in Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) Drops By 5.1%

Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 59,400 shares, a decline of 5.1% from the May 31st total of 62,600 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Anne M. Mulcahy acquired 135 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $745.07 per share, with a total value of $100,584.45. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $493,236.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 32.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graham

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Graham in the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Graham in the 4th quarter valued at about $77,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Graham by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Graham by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Graham in the 4th quarter valued at about $224,000. 62.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graham Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Graham stock opened at $702.00 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $729.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $720.35. The stock has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 1.12. Graham has a twelve month low of $551.36 and a twelve month high of $778.84.

Graham (NYSE:GHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $11.24 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter. Graham had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 5.39%.

Graham Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 18th will be given a $1.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 18th. This represents a $6.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Graham’s payout ratio is currently 11.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Graham from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th.

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.