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

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.25.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GSK shares. Barclays upgraded shares of GSK to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $53.00 to $39.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Guggenheim lowered GSK from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

GSK Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of GSK stock opened at $34.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. GSK has a fifty-two week low of $32.83 and a fifty-two week high of $45.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $36.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.06. The stock has a market cap of $70.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.64.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.3928 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This is a positive change from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.59%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is 98.70%.

Insider Activity at GSK

In other news, major shareholder Plc Gsk bought 2,791,930 shares of GSK stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.00 per share, with a total value of $22,335,440.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 10.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GSK

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in GSK by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 9.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of GSK by 2.0% during the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,693 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in GSK by 6.3% in the second quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,535 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in GSK by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 5,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

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.