Investors Purchase High Volume of GSK Put Options (NYSE:GSK)

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 10,769 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 79% compared to the average daily volume of 6,021 put options.

GSK Price Performance

GSK traded down $0.58 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $32.12. 6,251,165 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,592,981. The company's 50-day moving average is $34.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.08. The company has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. GSK has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month high of $45.92.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.3928 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.89%. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. GSK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GSK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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 cut GSK from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, GSK currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.25.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of GSK by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of GSK by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of GSK by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,693 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in GSK by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 5,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. grew its position in GSK by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,559 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

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.