GSK (NYSE:GSK) Research Coverage Started at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of GSK (NYSE:GSK) in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $35.25 price target on the pharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GSK presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.58.

GSK Stock Up 1.5 %

GSK opened at $35.92 on Tuesday. GSK has a twelve month low of $31.72 and a twelve month high of $45.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last announced its 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 net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. Equities research analysts forecast that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.3932 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.38%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is 100.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co raised its holdings in GSK by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in GSK by 195.5% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in GSK in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in GSK by 470.1% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 992 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

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.