GSK (NYSE:GSK) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK (NYSE:GSK) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday.

GSK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Guggenheim lowered GSK from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, GSK currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.25.

GSK Stock Performance

NYSE:GSK opened at $32.71 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $34.30 and its 200-day moving average is $38.12. GSK has a 1-year low of $32.55 and a 1-year 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. The stock has a market cap of $67.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.63.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.3928 dividend. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GSK. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 8.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 29,008,928 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,185,885,000 after acquiring an additional 2,224,345 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in GSK by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,576,930 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $759,425,000 after purchasing an additional 870,449 shares during the last quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of GSK by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC now owns 409,669 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $16,747,000 after buying an additional 51,378 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of GSK by 61.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 433,628 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,728,000 after acquiring an additional 165,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in GSK by 20.0% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 500,495 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $20,460,000 after acquiring an additional 83,433 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is 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.