Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD Lowers Stake in GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK)

Key Points

• Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD has reduced its stake in GSK PLC by 40.2% during the 1st quarter, now holding 201,301 shares valued at approximately $7.87 million.
• Despite recent stake reductions, several institutional investors, including FMR LLC which increased its holdings by 82.1%, continue to invest in GSK.
• GSK has maintained a current average rating of "Hold" among analysts, with an average price target set at $37.38 amid recent rating changes from firms such as HSBC and Berenberg Bank.

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD lessened its stake in GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 40.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 201,301 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 135,314 shares during the period. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD's holdings in GSK were worth $7,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Columbia Asset Management purchased a new position in GSK in the fourth quarter valued at $233,000. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in GSK in the 4th quarter valued at about $528,000. Stamos Capital Partners L.P. boosted its stake in shares of GSK by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Stamos Capital Partners L.P. now owns 294,820 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $9,971,000 after buying an additional 87,630 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank grew its position in shares of GSK by 18.8% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 101,039 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 15,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position 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 worth $1,786,475,000 after buying an additional 23,814,104 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GSK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Berenberg Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.38.

GSK Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:GSK opened at $37.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.50. GSK PLC Sponsored ADR has a 52-week low of $31.72 and a 52-week high of $44.67. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $39.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $10.06 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that GSK PLC Sponsored ADR will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.44%. GSK's payout ratio is currently 88.14%.

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.

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