Pearson Share Discussion Threads

[bankroll] 04/5/2007 10:51

maisey

Shows how much they know!

Looks like another heavy day's trading ahead.

[chairman2] 03/5/2007 13:32

Bankroll - you are probably right

Trying to read markets is the very worst sort of conspiracy paranoia!

[maiseymouse] 03/5/2007 07:15

a downgrade

[bankroll] 03/5/2007 01:44

Obviously share price had to come off after yesterday's last minute move, but there was exceptional volume again today, so I don't think you are correct Chairman. If you were, with over 12m bought there should have been another move northwards.

[chairman2] 02/5/2007 10:04

the spike tells me market makers are short of this stock.

[maiseymouse] 02/5/2007 06:59

murdoch has got the sector moving

[bankroll] 01/5/2007 17:27

About time as well. Although I have thought for some time they would make 900, I didn't think it would be in one surge at the end of one day's trading! Very good volume as well, so it is not just in sympathy with the sector.

Perhaps someone is seriously sniffing around the FT this time.

[sajad37] 01/5/2007 16:34

new corp and cnbc merger thats why rtr and pson are up.

[loss-leader] 01/5/2007 16:26

sudden spike .. what's up?

ll

[chairman2] 15/4/2007 19:54

Thanks Gateside

lets see if it holds 830 first

[gateside] 15/4/2007 07:53

I would consider anything below 800p as a good buy

[chairman2] 10/4/2007 12:49

chart is still strong
but could indicate a break below the
current upward channel.

anyone watching it?

[maiseymouse] 28/3/2007 07:02

some doubters out there.. i think these shares look a bit toppy

[james dean] 23/3/2007 17:21

M -

The pink one is back into profit and now we can see why the share price has strengthened this week - a bid approach?

Regards

DYOR.

[maiseymouse] 26/2/2007 21:58

Old Golden Sacks seems to be vv bullish on pearson. this despite the fact the FT can barely make a profit. Found this link ....

[james dean] 26/2/2007 17:45

Pearson full-year profit jumps 19 pct UPDATE


(Adds detail, closing share price)
LONDON (AFX) - Education and newspaper publisher Pearson PLC reported a 19
pct rise in 2006 profits, ahead of market expectations, and said it expects to
grow faster than its markets in 2007.
The world's largest education publisher, which also owns the Financial Times
and Penguin Books, said adjusted pretax profit for the year to Dec 31 was 502
mln stg excluding exceptional items and amortisation of intangible assets,
against 422 mln a year earlier.
Revenue increased 8 pct to 4.42 bln stg.
Adjusted earnings per share grew 18 pct to 40.2 pence and Pearson increased
its full-year dividend by 8.5 pct to 29.3 pence, the biggest increase for a
decade.
The average analysts' forecast supplied by Pearson was for adjusted pretax
profit of 491 mln stg versus 422 mln a year earlier on revenue of 4.38 bln stg
versus 4.09 bln a year earlier.
"This is another strong set of results," Pearson chief executive Marjorie
Scardino said in a statement. "We have built market-leading businesses and
invested consistently in their content, technology and international expansion.
That strategy is paying off with sustained growth in sales, margins, earnings
and returns, and we expect 2007 to be another good year."
Pearson, which makes around two thirds of its revenue from its US-based
education business, said schools sales increased 6 pct, and higher education by
4 pct.
The Financial Times continued its recovery, increasing advertising revenues
by 9 pct, while the Penguin book division grew sales by 3 pct despite a tough
consumer publishing market.
For 2007 Pearson expects its schools division to grow underlying sales by
between 4-6 pct and higher education 3-5 pct amid improved margins in both
businesses.
Professional sales are seen as broadly flat compared to 2006, while the
Financial Times publishing group is "expected to continue strong profit growth",
although advertising trends "remain difficult to predict".
Penguin is expected to further improve margins, helped by investment and
efficiency programmes.
Pearson shares closed at 832.5 pence on Friday, valuing the company at 6.71
bln stg.
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[james dean] 11/2/2007 09:49

A lesson for all media groups -




Regards.

DYOR.

[james dean] 22/1/2007 10:05

Pearson says on track for record full-year after strong Q4 UPDATE


(Adds detail and closing share price)
LONDON (AFX) - Pearson PLC, owner of the Financial Times and Penguin Books,
said it was on track for record profits in 2006 after strong trading across its
group in the fourth quarter.
In a trading update ahead of full-year results the world's biggest education
publisher, said it expected adjusted earnings per share to be between 36.1 and
40 pence, at the upper end of market expectations, adding that the Financial
Times increased advertising revenues and circulation in the fourth quarter.
"A strong all-round performance in our key fourth quarter selling season
capped another very good year. All around Pearson, our investments in content
and technology are paying off," chief executive Marjorie Scardino said in a
statement. "Those advantages have produced Pearson's highest ever profits in
2006, and will bolster our future growth."
Pearson is due to publish its full-year results on Feb 26.
Last week there was mounting market speculation that Pearson will face a bid
from private equity groups, sending the company's shares to a 4-1/2 year high.
Pearson is seen as attractive target because its different businesses can
easily be broken-up and sold, and also due to the reliability of its US-based
education publishing business. There has also long been speculation that Pearson
will sell the Financial Times.
However, Pearson made no comment on the recent bid speculation in a brief
trading update.
Pearson shares closed at 841.5 pence on Friday, valuing the company at 6.78
bln stg.
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Copyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved.
The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by
framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
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AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News
Limited

[gateside] 13/1/2007 10:32

The Investment Column: Pearson set to stay top of the class with talent in all subjects

Published: 31 October 2006
Our view: Hold

Share price: 769p (-12p)

Pearson's trading update yesterday would be the envy of much of the media sector. Underlying sales at the publishing group were up 5 per cent and profit up 15 per cent for the first nine months of the year. This is an industry where most companies are struggling to show any growth.

The difference is that Pearson is not much exposed to advertising revenues, except through its Financial Times paper, which forms a relatively small part of the group (providing sales of £179m out of £1.9bn at the half-year stage). Instead, the company's fortunes are tied to selling textbooks into the US education market, and here it has a supreme position, with a third of the market for schools and higher education.

US education as a business is not without its cycles. Many individual states order their own textbooks, and some years will see many more of these scheduled "adoptions". We are about to enter a very strong three-year period for adoptions, 2007-9, so expect Pearson's profits to continue growing - the company said yesterday that 2006 would be a record year.

Aside from education and financial news and data, the other arm of Pearson is its Penguin books division. This went through a difficult period in 2004 and some of 2005, due to distribution glitches and other issues, but it is now doing OK - full-year sales growth will be a less-than-exhilarating 1 per cent at Penguin this year.

At education, sales will be 3 to 5 per cent up for the full year, while in the first nine months of 2006, the FT group has down 5 per cent sales expansion.

Pearson has a fantastic collection of assets, which are performing well. As the FT's Lex column might say, if Pearson were broken up and the three arms sold off, there is little doubt that the sum of the parts would fetch more than the whole.

While Marjorie Scardino is chief executive there is very little prospect of a break-up but, while she has announced no retirement date, remember that she turns 60 next year. Hold.

[james dean] 29/12/2006 21:49

Best wishes to all for the coming year.

[gateside] 29/12/2006 21:37

Citigroup's five UK picks for 2007 were Pearson , owner of the Financial Times, ICAP, the inter-dealer broker, Mitchells & Butler the pub group, Prudential, the life assurer, and electricity generator Scottish & Southern Energy.

[james dean] 27/12/2006 19:06

Good grief -

It is still quiet on here!

Regards all - 2007 looks interesting.

DYOR

[gateside] 15/11/2006 14:28

Pearson initiated with "buy"

Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:35:42 AM ET
Stifel Nicolaus

NEW YORK, November 15 (newratings.com) - Analyst Drew Crum of Stifel Nicolaus & Company initiates coverage of Pearson plc (ticker: PSO) with a "buy" rating. The target price is set to $18.

In a research note published this morning, the analyst mentions that the company seems poised for share gains in the education market, which is expected to be boosted by a robust adoption schedule. Pearson's adjusted operating income growth is likely to outpace top-line growth, resulting in low-teens EPS growth during the forthcoming few years, the analyst says. Further restructuring/portfolio repositioning is likely to support the company's share price going forward, Stifel Nicolaus & Company adds.