GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.25.

Several research firms recently commented on GSK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Argus upgraded GSK to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays upgraded 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 dropped their price target for the company from $53.00 to $39.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Guggenheim downgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st.

GSK Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:GSK opened at $33.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $69.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $39.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.68. GSK has a 52 week low of $32.83 and a 52 week high of $45.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.3928 per share. This is a positive change 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 yield of 4.71%. GSK’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GSK

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GSK. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in GSK by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 10,599 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 25.7% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares during the period. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 1.8% during the third quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 83,666 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,420,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of GSK during the third quarter worth $3,645,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in GSK by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 1,413,089 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $578,000 after buying an additional 145,799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

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.