O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 32,936 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 19.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 140,276 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 32,936 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in GSK were worth $4,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of GSK in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of GSK by 195.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in GSK by 73.8% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in GSK in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GSK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, GSK has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.25.

GSK Stock Performance

NYSE GSK opened at $37.66 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $77.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $37.49 and its 200-day moving average is $36.63. GSK plc has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued 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 net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. Sell-side analysts predict that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.3932 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.74%.

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.