Fmr LLC Boosts Stock Position in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 82.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,814,104 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned approximately 2.55% of GSK worth $1,786,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co grew its stake in shares of GSK by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in GSK in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 195.5% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of GSK by 73.8% during 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 during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of GSK in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on GSK. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.25.

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GSK Stock Performance

GSK stock traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $34.58. 9,084,647 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,630,323. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $37.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.25. GSK plc has a one year low of $31.72 and a one year high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last released 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that GSK plc 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.3932 dividend. 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 yield of 4.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. GSK's payout ratio is currently 98.74%.

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.