Baird Financial Group Inc. Buys 26,290 Shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR $GSK

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group more than doubled its GSK position in the second quarter, purchasing 26,290 additional shares to hold 50,129 shares valued at approximately $2.63 million. Institutional investors own 15.74% of GSK.
• GSK reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, with EPS of $1.36 and revenue of $11.14 billion, while revenue increased 5.3% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.4515, equivalent to a 3.6% annualized yield.
• GSK is expanding its oncology pipeline through acquisitions and development efforts, including a potential $750 million deal for an experimental cancer therapy, but plans to close its Dresden vaccine facility by 2027 amid weaker demand and excess capacity. Analysts remain broadly cautious, with an average rating of “Hold” and a $56.50 consensus price target.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 110.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,129 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 26,290 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in GSK were worth $2,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GSK. Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of GSK by 1,372.8% during the second quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 290,593 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $15,233,000 after acquiring an additional 270,863 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its position in GSK by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 105,377 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,524,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in GSK by 38.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,918 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $677,000 after purchasing an additional 3,611 shares during the period. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of GSK by 90.5% in the 2nd quarter. Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC now owns 38,686 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,028,000 after purchasing an additional 18,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of GSK by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,731 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting GSK

Here are the key news stories impacting GSK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berenberg upgraded GSK from “hold” to “buy,” citing the company’s growth outlook. The recommendation change may improve sentiment toward the stock and reinforce confidence in GSK’s earnings and pipeline prospects. GSK upgraded at Berenberg on growth outlook
• Positive Sentiment: GSK agreed to acquire global rights to an experimental trispecific T-cell engager from Chimagen Biosciences for up to $750 million. The multiple myeloma therapy is designed to direct T cells against cancer by targeting two tumor antigens, strengthening GSK’s oncology pipeline and potentially expanding its longer-term growth opportunities. The upfront payment was not disclosed, and the drug remains experimental, so its commercial value depends on clinical and regulatory success. GSK strikes up to $750 million deal for cancer-targeting drug
• Positive Sentiment: GSK is also targeting first-line use for its recently acquired lung-cancer drug Jideytro, which could broaden the product’s potential market if clinical and regulatory objectives are met. GSK targets first-line use for newly acquired lung cancer drug Jideytro
• Negative Sentiment: GSK plans to close its Dresden, Germany, vaccine manufacturing facility by summer 2027, putting 641 jobs at risk. The restructuring reflects declining demand for traditional egg-based flu vaccines and excess manufacturing capacity. While the closure could reduce costs over time, it highlights weakness in part of GSK’s vaccines business and creates near-term restructuring considerations. GSK cuts 641 jobs in vaccine manufacturing restructuring

GSK Stock Performance

Shares of GSK stock opened at $50.28 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.70 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.35. GSK PLC Sponsored ADR has a 12 month low of $39.29 and a 12 month high of $61.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $51.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.56.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.09. GSK had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 14.56%.The firm had revenue of $11.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. GSK has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that GSK PLC Sponsored ADR will post 4.81 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.4515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. GSK's payout ratio is presently 55.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GSK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They set a "sector perform" rating for the company. HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised GSK to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.50.

GSK Company Profile

GSK plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Brentford, England. The company researches, develops and manufactures medicines and vaccines for the prevention and treatment of disease, serving patients and healthcare providers in markets around the world.

GSK focuses on specialty medicines and vaccines in areas including infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory disease, immunology and oncology. Its products include prescription medicines, long-acting treatments and vaccines designed to protect against diseases such as shingles, meningitis, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The company was formed in 2000 through the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham.

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