GSK Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:GSK)

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders acquired 10,999 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 53% compared to the typical volume of 7,195 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised GSK from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Berenberg Bank raised GSK to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Citigroup raised GSK to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, GSK currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

GSK Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of GSK opened at $38.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $79.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of $42.51 and a 200 day moving average of $41.23. GSK has a fifty-two week low of $33.67 and a fifty-two week high of $45.92.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $9.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.98 billion. GSK had a return on equity of 51.54% and a net margin of 14.62%. As a group, research analysts forecast that GSK will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.3762 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.92%. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of GSK by 2,816.7% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 700 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of GSK in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of GSK during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in GSK by 62.2% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,327 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.