GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Receives $40.58 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $40.58.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GSK shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded GSK to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th.

GSK Trading Up 0.2%

GSK stock opened at $37.64 on Monday. GSK has a 1-year low of $31.72 and a 1-year high of $45.80. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $37.39 and its 200-day moving average is $35.96. The firm has a market cap of $77.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.52 billion. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.4216 per share. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.48%. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 86.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of GSK by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,786,475,000 after acquiring an additional 23,814,104 shares during the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its stake in shares of GSK by 70.1% during the fourth quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 25,261,660 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $854,349,000 after purchasing an additional 10,407,905 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in GSK by 14.9% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 78,651,833 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,046,972,000 after purchasing an additional 10,210,921 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in GSK by 1,360.4% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 2,165,043 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $73,222,000 after buying an additional 2,016,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in GSK during the first quarter worth about $67,267,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About GSK

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.