Short Interest in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Rises By 31.7%

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 18,510,000 shares, a growth of 31.7% from the February 13th total of 14,050,000 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,770,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on GSK shares. 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 began coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in GSK by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 174,688 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,908,000 after buying an additional 13,039 shares during the last quarter. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in GSK during the 4th quarter worth about $228,000. Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in GSK during the 4th quarter worth about $286,000. Probity Advisors Inc. raised its stake in GSK by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 15,120 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $511,000 after purchasing an additional 5,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in GSK in the 4th quarter valued at about $310,000. 15.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GSK Price Performance

GSK stock opened at $40.35 on Wednesday. GSK has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month high of $45.93. The company has a market cap of $83.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $36.30 and a 200-day moving average of $36.96. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. As a group, equities analysts expect that GSK will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.3932 dividend. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.90%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is 98.74%.

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.