GSK (LON:GSK) Insider Jonathan Symonds Buys 5,000 Shares

GSK plc (LON:GSK) insider Jonathan Symonds purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 1,951 per share, for a total transaction of £97,550.

Jonathan Symonds also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 5th, Jonathan Symonds acquired 2,500 shares of GSK stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 2,114 per share, with a total value of £52,850.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of LON:GSK opened at GBX 1,939 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 2,026.08 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 1,820.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.20. The stock has a market cap of £77.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.32. GSK plc has a 12 month low of GBX 1,242.50 and a 12 month high of GBX 2,282.

GSK (LON:GSK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported GBX 172 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. GSK had a net margin of 17.50% and a return on equity of 37.19%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that GSK plc will post 175.980975 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting GSK

Here are the key news stories impacting GSK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Senior insiders bought stock this week, signaling confidence from management: Jonathan Symonds purchased 5,000 shares at GBX 1,951 (~£97,550), Wendy Becker bought 411 shares at GBX 1,963 (~£8,068) and Anne Beal bought 196 shares (reported at GBX 5,179) — insider buying often suggests executives view the shares as undervalued.
• Positive Sentiment: GSK expanded its buyback program and increased treasury holdings, repurchasing 560,000 ordinary shares on 20 March (via BNP), which reduces float and supports EPS. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory progress: GSK’s lung cancer treatment received orphan drug designation in Japan, which can enable regulatory incentives, market exclusivity and a faster development path in that market. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: GSK admitted 96,525 new ordinary shares to trading under employee share plans — standard issuance for employee compensation; modest dilution but typical and usually neutral for near-term valuation. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

GSK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on GSK from GBX 1,900 to GBX 2,250 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on GSK from GBX 1,600 to GBX 1,660 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on GSK from GBX 1,600 to GBX 1,675 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 1,940 price objective on shares of GSK in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Shore Capital Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 2,300 target price on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GSK has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 1,917.86.

GSK Company 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. The company offers shingles, meningitis, respiratory syncytial virus, flu, polio, influenza, and pandemic vaccines. It also provides medicines for HIV, oncology, respiratory/immunology, and other specialty medicine products, as well as inhaled medicines for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and antibiotics for infections.