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

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.25.

GSK has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company.

GSK Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:GSK opened at $39.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $81.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. GSK has a one year low of $31.72 and a one year high of $45.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.92.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.3932 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.01%. This is a positive change from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.74%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in GSK by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 11,506 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Northwest Bank & Trust Co raised its stake in shares of GSK by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 22,405 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $765,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of GSK by 73.8% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its holdings in GSK by 6.3% in the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 5,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, GC Wealth Management RIA LLC grew its position in GSK by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 14,009 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $474,000 after buying an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

GSK Company Profile

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.