GSK (NYSE:GSK) Lowered to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

GSK (NYSE:GSK) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 price target on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, GSK presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.58.

GSK Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:GSK traded down $0.30 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $35.38. 2,897,583 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,636,016. GSK has a fifty-two week low of $31.72 and a fifty-two week high of $45.93. The stock has a market cap of $73.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.17.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of GSK

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co lifted its holdings in shares of GSK by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of GSK in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of GSK by 195.5% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of GSK during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in GSK by 470.1% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 992 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.