BUZZ-Pearson: nears 6-month lows as brokers cut targets

** Publisher Pearson 2nd top FTSE 100 faller, extending Friday's losses & within sight of six-month lows after three brokerages slash TPs citing limited 2016 EPS growth

** Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) slashes TP to 1245p from 1290p, Nomura to 1280p from 1400p and Westhouse to 1131p from 1179p

** Brokerages question valuation after comments alongside H1 results announced on Friday indicate policy environment in key U.S. market still uncertain

** Also point to headwind from certain educational contract losses and hit due to sale of the Financial Times newspaper

** U.S. education business increasingly important for Pearson (Xetra: 858266 - news) , whose results are more H2 weighted, after its deal to sell the FT

** 9 of 24 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 9 "hold" and 6 "sell" or lower; their median PT is 1387p

** Pearson is also in talks to sell its 50 pct stake in The Economist (RM (LSE: RM.L - news) : esha.vaish.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)