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

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research 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 target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.25.

GSK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. StockNews.com raised GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $38.28. The stock had a trading volume of 4,432,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,942,775. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $79.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The company's 50-day moving average is $36.90 and its 200 day moving average is $36.80. GSK has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month high of $45.92.

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GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 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, equities analysts predict that GSK will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.3932 per share. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK's payout ratio is 98.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GSK. FMR LLC grew its holdings in GSK by 8.3% in the third 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 period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of GSK by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,576,930 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $759,425,000 after purchasing an additional 870,449 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC increased its position in GSK by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC now owns 409,669 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $16,747,000 after buying an additional 51,378 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 61.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 433,628 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $17,728,000 after acquiring an additional 165,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 9.7% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 604,973 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $24,731,000 after acquiring an additional 53,440 shares in the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.