First Heartland Consultants Inc. Takes $351,000 Position in GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK)

Key Points

• First Heartland Consultants Inc. acquired 9,064 shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR, valued at approximately $351,000, in the first quarter of the year.
• GSK reported **earnings per share of $1.13** for the recent quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and showing a **2.1% year-over-year revenue increase** of $10.06 billion.
• The company recently **increased its quarterly dividend** to $0.4216, resulting in an annualized payout of $1.69 and a **dividend yield of 4.44%**.

First Heartland Consultants Inc. bought a new stake in GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,064 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $351,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of GSK by 127.9% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 841 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in GSK during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. First Pacific Financial purchased a new stake in GSK during the 1st quarter worth $45,000. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in GSK during the 1st quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in GSK during the 1st quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

GSK Stock Down 0.7%

GSK stock traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $37.95. 4,009,306 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,773,507. The company has a market capitalization of $77.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. GSK PLC Sponsored ADR has a twelve month low of $31.72 and a twelve month high of $44.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.56.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.52 billion. GSK had a net margin of 9.89% and a return on equity of 48.82%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that GSK PLC Sponsored ADR will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.4216 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.44%. GSK's payout ratio is 88.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on GSK. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of GSK in a research note 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 research note on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $37.38.

GSK Profile

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.