GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company.

A number of brokerages recently commented on GSK. Guggenheim raised shares of GSK from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Citigroup upgraded GSK from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on GSK in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock.

GSK Stock Performance

NYSE GSK opened at $44.15 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $41.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.30. GSK has a one year low of $33.33 and a one year high of $44.33. The company has a market capitalization of $91.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.87.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.3762 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This is a positive change from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GSK. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 3,961 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of GSK by 305.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 118,233 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,383,000 after buying an additional 89,089 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of GSK by 23.6% during the third quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 76,840 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,785,000 after buying an additional 14,689 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter valued at $7,024,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its position in shares of GSK by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 25,754 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.