GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) Receives $44.13 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.1250.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on GSK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of GSK from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of GSK in a report on Friday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Friday, February 20th.

GSK Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of GSK stock opened at $53.39 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 $108.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.43, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.33. GSK has a 1-year low of $32.38 and a 1-year high of $61.69.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.4856 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 51.62%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GSK. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in GSK by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 32,227,615 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,390,944,000 after purchasing an additional 889,210 shares during the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in GSK by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 158,145 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,826,000 after purchasing an additional 23,400 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in GSK during the 4th quarter worth $528,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in GSK by 184.6% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 138,898 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,334,000 after purchasing an additional 90,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 54.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GSK Company Profile

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.