Stifel Financial Corp Raises Position in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 618,213 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 13,240 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in GSK were worth $20,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of GSK in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of GSK by 195.5% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in GSK in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of GSK by 470.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 992 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on GSK. Morgan Stanley started coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas started coverage on GSK in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.58.

GSK Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GSK traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,255,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,730,761. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.99. GSK plc has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. As a group, equities analysts predict that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.3932 per share. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.02%. GSK's dividend payout ratio is 100.63%.

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.