GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Shares Bought by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 47.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 77,630 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,111 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in GSK were worth $3,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GSK. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 11,506 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co increased its position in GSK by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 22,405 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC increased its position in GSK by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 14,009 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in GSK by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 18,403 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its position in GSK by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 10,403 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

GSK Trading Down 3.9%

Shares of NYSE GSK traded down $1.67 on Friday, reaching $40.82. 7,658,630 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,865,746. GSK plc has a fifty-two week low of $31.72 and a fifty-two week high of $44.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.96 and a 200 day moving average of $36.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.52.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. The company had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.4216 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.13%. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK's payout ratio is presently 86.60%.

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.