Holowesko Partners Ltd. Sells 40,000 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Holowesko Partners Ltd. lessened its stake in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 76.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,000 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 40,000 shares during the quarter. GSK makes up about 0.2% of Holowesko Partners Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Holowesko Partners Ltd.'s holdings in GSK were worth $406,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. United Bank boosted its holdings in shares of GSK by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. United Bank now owns 31,449 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,064,000 after purchasing an additional 5,664 shares during the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of GSK by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,152 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in GSK by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 21,087 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $713,000 after buying an additional 3,581 shares during the last quarter. Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in GSK during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Finally, Potentia Wealth bought a new stake in GSK in the 4th quarter worth approximately $381,000. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GSK shares. StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.25.

GSK Trading Up 2.9 %

GSK stock traded up $1.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $38.75. 4,817,456 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,475,167. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.20 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.78. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that GSK plc will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.3932 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK's payout ratio is presently 98.74%.

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.