Dame Marjorie Scardino and Bn Price

Pearson: Talk of a sale first emerged three years ago, following the departure of long-serving boss Dame Marjorie Scardino as the company looked to focus on its fast-growing education business, according to The Independent. The £1bn price tag being touted this time round is the same as that which Bloomberg suggested Pearson was holding out for in 2012. Pearson started lower, then spiked on the report before retreating again to finish down 20p at 1,255p. Analysts suggested the speculation was nothing new, while one media expert said it could be true this time . It was a quiet start to the week for European stock markets, with the FTSE 100 edging up 13.61 points to 6,788.69. Sports Direct was the Footsie best performing share, up 25.5p at 772.5p after Exane BNP Paribas lifted its target price to 860p. Until Thursday retail sales figures, the UK index has very little to play with this week, so will likely be dependent on the movements surrounding Greece and any changes in the commodity sector, Spreadex Connor Campbell said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.