B. Riley Financial Cuts Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Price Target to $35.00

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) had its price objective decreased by B. Riley Financial from $42.00 to $35.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. B. Riley Financial currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Scholastic from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Scholastic from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Scholastic Price Performance

NASDAQ:SCHL opened at $35.16 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $663.12 million, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $38.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.44. Scholastic has a one year low of $26.38 and a one year high of $48.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The company reported ($3.63) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($3.42) by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $216.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $224.69 million. Scholastic had a return on equity of 5.00% and a net margin of 3.60%. Equities analysts expect that Scholastic will post 1.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Scholastic Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Scholastic’s payout ratio is 71.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Scholastic

In other news, EVP Iole Lucchese sold 289,624 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.76, for a total transaction of $11,515,450.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 289,623 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,515,410.48. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andres A. Alonso sold 2,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.28, for a total transaction of $85,071.36. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,189 shares in the company, valued at $853,492.92. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 294,986 shares of company stock valued at $11,731,334 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Scholastic

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCHL. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Scholastic by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 23,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $906,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Scholastic in the 2nd quarter valued at $43,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Scholastic during the 2nd quarter valued at $56,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Scholastic by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 12,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 2,182 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Scholastic during the 2nd quarter valued at $115,000. 82.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Scholastic News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Scholastic this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scholastic agreed to acquire Cottage Door Press for approximately $71 million, subject to customary adjustments. The deal expands Scholastic’s early-childhood publishing portfolio, adds innovative book formats and sales channels, and could create longer-term growth opportunities. Shares reportedly climbed in premarket trading following the announcement. Scholastic to Acquire Cottage Door Press
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted the resilience of Scholastic’s core franchises, including book fairs and children’s publishing, during its earnings discussions. The Cottage Door transaction reinforces the company’s strategy of investing in areas with potential for growth across formats and distribution channels. Scholastic Earnings Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ questions and the earnings-call commentary focused on book-fair performance, franchise activity, and the outlook for education markets. The discussion points to a mixed setup: established franchises are performing relatively well, but near-term results remain seasonal and exposed to education-sector pressures. SCHL Q3 Deep Dive
• Negative Sentiment: B. Riley lowered its expectations for Scholastic’s stock price, while Sidoti reduced several future EPS forecasts, including FY2027 earnings to $1.29 from $1.46 and Q3 2027 EPS to a loss of $0.88 from a loss of $0.84. The revisions signal concerns about slower earnings growth and may limit investor enthusiasm. B. Riley Lowers Scholastic Expectations

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation is a global children’s publishing, education and media company. Founded in 1920 by M. R. Robinson, the company develops and distributes books, classroom materials, digital learning resources and educational media for children, families, teachers and schools.

Its publishing portfolio includes original and licensed children’s books, series and educational titles, while its education business provides classroom magazines, supplemental curriculum materials, professional learning resources and digital platforms.