GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) Position Boosted by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 140,106 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,369 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in GSK were worth $5,428,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,786,475,000 after acquiring 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. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 1,360.4% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 2,165,043 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $73,222,000 after purchasing an additional 2,016,795 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 132.7% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 2,247,691 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $76,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter worth about $36,665,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GSK Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of GSK stock traded up $0.31 on Thursday, reaching $38.59. 4,771,624 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,944,050. The stock has a market cap of $79.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.89. GSK PLC Sponsored ADR has a 1-year low of $31.72 and a 1-year high of $44.67.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.4216 dividend. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. GSK's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on GSK shares. Hsbc Global Res raised GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on GSK in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.38.

GSK Company 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.