GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. cut its holdings in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 478,740 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 52,224 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc.'s holdings in GSK were worth $16,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co grew its position in shares of GSK by 200.0% during 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 bought a new position in GSK during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in GSK during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new stake in shares of GSK in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on GSK in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target on the stock. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.58.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GSK traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $38.38. 2,749,155 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,839,100. The firm has a market cap of $79.19 billion, a PE ratio of 24.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. GSK plc has a fifty-two week low of $31.72 and a fifty-two week high of $45.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.96.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $10.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.52 billion. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that GSK plc will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.4216 dividend. This represents a $1.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.39%. This is an increase from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. GSK's dividend payout ratio is presently 86.60%.

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.