Brokerages Set GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) PT at $40.58

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.58.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on GSK shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of GSK from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GSK. Dodge & Cox grew its position in GSK by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 68,440,912 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,314,672,000 after acquiring an additional 353,749 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of GSK by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,786,475,000 after purchasing an additional 23,814,104 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its holdings 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 last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of GSK by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,836,797 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $637,061,000 after buying an additional 259,867 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in GSK by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,566,922 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $255,914,000 after buying an additional 35,134 shares during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GSK Stock Performance

NYSE GSK opened at $36.52 on Thursday. GSK has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month high of $45.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $37.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.05. The company has a market capitalization of $75.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.3932 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.31%. This is a positive change from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.63%.

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.