Fmr LLC Boosts Stake in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Fmr LLC lifted its holdings in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 82.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 23,814,104 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in GSK were worth $1,786,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 70.1% in the fourth quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 25,261,660 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $854,349,000 after acquiring an additional 10,407,905 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in GSK by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,836,797 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $637,061,000 after buying an additional 259,867 shares in the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its holdings in GSK by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 5,838,384 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $205,920,000 after acquiring an additional 874,004 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of GSK by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 4,153,616 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $140,475,000 after acquiring an additional 446,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equity Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of GSK by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 3,962,581 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $134,014,000 after acquiring an additional 466,327 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

GSK Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GSK opened at $36.49 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. GSK plc has a 52 week low of $31.72 and a 52 week high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. On average, analysts expect that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.3932 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 98.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GSK shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Seven research 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.25.

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.