Optimist Retirement Group LLC Acquires 28,328 Shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC raised its position in GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 87.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 60,744 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,328 shares during the quarter. GSK accounts for approximately 1.2% of Optimist Retirement Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Optimist Retirement Group LLC's holdings in GSK were worth $2,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 23,814,104 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,016,795 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,281,855 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,665,000. Finally, Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased its position in shares of GSK by 138.4% during the first quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 1,646,791 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $63,797,000 after acquiring an additional 955,891 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GSK. Berenberg Bank reiterated 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 objective on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, GSK currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.38.

GSK Stock Down 0.5%

GSK opened at $36.28 on Friday. GSK PLC Sponsored ADR has a fifty-two week low of $31.72 and a fifty-two week high of $44.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $38.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.50.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that GSK PLC Sponsored ADR will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.4216 dividend. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.65%. This is a positive change from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. GSK's payout ratio is presently 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GSK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.