GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.58.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GSK. StockNews.com cut GSK from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 price objective for the company.

GSK Trading Down 0.8 %

GSK stock opened at $35.38 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.17. GSK has a 52 week low of $31.72 and a 52 week high of $45.93. The stock has a market cap of $73.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. Equities research analysts predict that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.3932 dividend. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.63%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in GSK by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 68,440,912 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,314,672,000 after buying an additional 353,749 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in GSK by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,786,475,000 after purchasing an additional 23,814,104 shares during the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its holdings in shares of GSK by 70.1% in the 4th quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 25,261,660 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $854,349,000 after buying an additional 10,407,905 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,836,797 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $637,061,000 after purchasing an additional 259,867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in GSK by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,566,922 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $255,914,000 after buying an additional 35,134 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About GSK

GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, and manufacture of vaccines, and specialty and general medicines to prevent and treat disease in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Commercial Operations and Total R&D.