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

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $40.58.

A number of equities analysts have commented on GSK shares. StockNews.com raised GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of GSK by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 23,294 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $902,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in GSK by 100.3% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial bought a new position in GSK in the first quarter worth $45,000. Aurora Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in GSK in the first quarter worth $692,000. Finally, Ledyard National Bank lifted its position in GSK by 15.5% during the first quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 44,504 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after buying an additional 5,960 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK stock opened at $37.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.46 and a 200-day moving average of $36.06. GSK has a 52-week low of $31.72 and a 52-week high of $45.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.78.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts expect that GSK will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.3932 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.25%. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 100.63%.

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.