Columbia Asset Management Invests $233,000 in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Columbia Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,885 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in GSK by 70.1% during the fourth quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 25,261,660 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $854,349,000 after purchasing an additional 10,407,905 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,836,797 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $637,061,000 after buying an additional 259,867 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its position in shares of GSK by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 5,838,384 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $205,920,000 after buying an additional 874,004 shares in the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp grew its stake in GSK by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 3,962,581 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $134,014,000 after acquiring an additional 466,327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in GSK by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 3,542,143 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $144,803,000 after acquiring an additional 833,080 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company's stock.

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GSK Trading Down 6.5 %

NYSE GSK traded down $2.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $36.49. 10,603,293 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,530,259. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $37.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.53 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. GSK plc has a 1-year low of $31.72 and a 1-year high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.3932 dividend. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.31%. This is an increase from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. GSK's payout ratio is presently 98.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GSK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, GSK presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.25.

GSK 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.