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

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $43.25.

Several brokerages recently commented on GSK. Morgan Stanley started coverage on GSK in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK opened at $38.74 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $37.22 and a 200-day moving average of $36.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $80.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. GSK has a 1 year low of $31.72 and a 1 year high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. GSK’s payout ratio is presently 98.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of GSK by 73.8% in 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. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co lifted its stake in GSK by 200.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in GSK during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of GSK in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

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.