Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) Price Target Raised to $40.00

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) had its target price raised by stock analysts at B. Riley Financial from $37.00 to $40.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. B. Riley Financial’s target price indicates a potential upside of 7.29% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Scholastic from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Scholastic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Scholastic presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Scholastic Trading Up 8.9%

Shares of NASDAQ SCHL traded up $3.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.28. 1,292,436 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 420,218. The stock has a market capitalization of $948.50 million, a P/E ratio of -186.46 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.35. Scholastic has a twelve month low of $15.77 and a twelve month high of $38.94.

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by $0.45. The company had revenue of $329.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $331.53 million. Scholastic had a positive return on equity of 2.66% and a negative net margin of 0.21%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Scholastic will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Scholastic

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SCHL. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Scholastic by 63.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 983 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Scholastic by 458.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,593 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Scholastic during the fourth quarter worth about $116,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Scholastic during the third quarter worth about $137,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Scholastic by 127.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,912 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.57% of the company’s stock.

Key Scholastic News

Here are the key news stories impacting Scholastic this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 EPS beat consensus: Scholastic reported EPS of ($0.15), well ahead of the consensus loss estimate of ($0.60), signaling better-than-expected operating performance. Scholastic Q3 Press Release / Slides
• Positive Sentiment: Large $200M modified Dutch-auction tender offer announced (part of a $300M repurchase program) with an expected purchase price range of $36–$40, supporting per‑share value and reducing share count. Scholastic Announces $200M Tender Offer
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share, demonstrating shareholder-return focus alongside buybacks. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet actions: management cited >$400M net proceeds from sale-leasebacks and set a long-term net leverage target of 2.0–2.5x adjusted EBITDA — a framework that supports disciplined buybacks and credit-profile improvement. Q3 Results & Strategy Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improving: at least one outlet flagged a rating upgrade / more constructive outlook on the recovery and capital returns. Seeking Alpha: Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcripts are available for detailed review (useful for assessing guidance, segment trends and margin drivers). Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations: Q3 revenue of $329.1M vs. consensus ~$331.5M, with specific weakness in children’s book sales; the company remains modestly unprofitable on a net‑margin basis. Investing.com: Revenue Miss / Book Sales Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Company still posted a GAAP loss (EPS negative year‑over‑year) and has a negative net margin, so operational recovery and sustainable profitability remain investor considerations. Zacks: Q3 Loss / Revenue Miss

Scholastic Company Profile

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is a global company dedicated to children’s publishing, education technology and distribution services. The company’s core business encompasses three primary segments: Children’s Book Publishing and Distribution, Education Technology, and International operations. Through its publishing arm, Scholastic produces and distributes a wide range of children’s books, novels, nonfiction titles and classroom magazines under well-known imprints such as Scholastic Press, Graphix and Chicken House.