GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Receives $43.25 Average Price Target from Brokerages

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.25.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company.

GSK Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE GSK opened at $38.54 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $37.11 and its 200 day moving average is $36.82. GSK has a 52 week low of $31.72 and a 52 week high of $45.93. 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 has a market cap of $79.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.3932 dividend. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of GSK by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,094,105 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $70,823,000 after buying an additional 190,047 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in GSK by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 174,688 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,908,000 after purchasing an additional 13,039 shares during the period. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $286,000. Finally, Probity Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of GSK by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 15,120 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 5,599 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

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.