Graham (NYSE:GHC) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Shares of Graham Holdings (NYSE:GHC) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 14,360 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the previous session’s volume of 16,270 shares.The stock last traded at $983.41 and had previously closed at $972.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Graham Trading Up 0.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $912.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $862.51.

Graham Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Graham’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.10%.

Insider Activity

In other Graham news, CAO Marcel A. Snyman sold 159 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $881.30, for a total transaction of $140,126.70. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graham

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new position in Graham in the 4th quarter worth $1,517,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Graham by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,712,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Graham by 38.5% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $922,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Graham during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $389,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Graham by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 5,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,136,000 after purchasing an additional 847 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

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.