GSK (LON:GSK) Reaches New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

GSK plc (LON:GSK)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as GBX 1,720.50 ($21.61) and last traded at GBX 1,714.75 ($21.54), with a volume of 9095223 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,705 ($21.42).

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a GBX 15 ($0.19) dividend. This represents a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5,333.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GSK shares. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of GSK from GBX 1,650 ($20.73) to GBX 1,820 ($22.86) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a GBX 1,725 ($21.67) target price on shares of GSK in a report on Monday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,950 ($24.49) price target on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of GSK from GBX 1,530 ($19.22) to GBX 1,660 ($20.85) and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 1,675.63 ($21.05).

GSK Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 1,662.06 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 1,556.29. The stock has a market cap of £70.90 billion, a PE ratio of 1,444.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 140.82, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Insider Activity at GSK

In other news, insider Urs Rohner purchased 434 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 1,662 ($20.88) per share, with a total value of £7,213.08 ($9,060.52). In related news, insider Emma Walmsley sold 139,792 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,658 ($20.83), for a total transaction of £2,317,751.36 ($2,911,382.19). Also, insider Urs Rohner purchased 434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 1,662 ($20.88) per share, for a total transaction of £7,213.08 ($9,060.52). 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.