GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.25.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GSK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Barclays raised GSK to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $39.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday.

GSK Price Performance

GSK traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $33.95. The stock had a trading volume of 3,390,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,159,023. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.64. GSK has a 1-year low of $32.83 and a 1-year high of $45.92.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.3928 dividend. This is an increase from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.63%. GSK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 99.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Plc Gsk bought 2,791,930 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.00 per share, for a total transaction of $22,335,440.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 16,775,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at $134,205,528. This trade represents a 19.97 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 10.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GSK

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GSK. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 29,008,928 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,185,885,000 after purchasing an additional 2,224,345 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in GSK by 4.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,576,930 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $759,425,000 after buying an additional 870,449 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 2.4% during the third quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 14,853,755 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $607,222,000 after buying an additional 342,365 shares in the last quarter. Provident Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 1.7% during the third quarter. Provident Trust Co. now owns 3,953,602 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $161,623,000 after buying an additional 66,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 30.8% in the third 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 during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.