Whittier Trust Co. Acquires 21,826 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 133.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,150 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,826 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in GSK were worth $1,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in GSK. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in GSK by 73.8% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co increased its stake 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 last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of GSK in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of GSK by 195.5% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in GSK during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

GSK Price Performance

GSK stock opened at $39.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $81.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.97. GSK plc has a 1 year low of $31.72 and a 1 year high of $45.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that GSK plc will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be 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 is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on GSK shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. Seven investment 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.25.

GSK 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.