GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.1250.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Monday, February 9th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America upgraded GSK from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th.

GSK Stock Performance

NYSE GSK opened at $54.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $111.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $53.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.81. GSK has a 1-year low of $32.38 and a 1-year high of $61.69.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.4856 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.62%.

Insider Activity at GSK

In other news, major shareholder Plc Gsk bought 1,470,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $19.00 per share, for a total transaction of $27,930,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 18,245,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $346,668,129. This represents a 8.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 10.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of GSK by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 32,227,615 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,390,944,000 after purchasing an additional 889,210 shares during the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in GSK by 17.4% in the third quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 158,145 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,826,000 after buying an additional 23,400 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in GSK in the fourth quarter valued at $528,000. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in GSK by 184.6% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 138,898 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,334,000 after buying an additional 90,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in GSK by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 49,279 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,127,000 after buying an additional 17,273 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

About GSK

GSK (GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a London-headquartered, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company formed through the 2000 merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. The company is dual-listed and operates globally, developing, manufacturing and commercializing prescription medicines, vaccines and specialty treatments. Over its history GSK has evolved through portfolio reshaping and strategic transactions to focus on science-led pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

GSK’s core activities include research and development of therapies and vaccines across a range of therapeutic areas, commercial manufacturing, and global marketing.