D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $2.97 Million Stock Position in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its holdings in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,847 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 14,808 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in GSK were worth $2,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in GSK in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of GSK by 73.8% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co boosted its holdings in shares of GSK by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in GSK by 231.8% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 783 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company's stock.

GSK Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GSK traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $36.62. 5,644,657 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,666,008. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.03, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.64. The company's 50-day moving average price is $34.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. GSK plc has a 1-year low of $31.72 and a 1-year high of $45.92.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK's dividend payout ratio is currently 93.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on GSK shares. Guggenheim lowered GSK from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $53.00 to $39.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, GSK currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.25.

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.