Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys Shares of 405,963 GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 405,963 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $13,730,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of GSK. FMR LLC increased 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 worth $1,786,475,000 after purchasing an additional 23,814,104 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its stake in shares of GSK by 70.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of GSK by 1,360.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its stake in shares of GSK by 132.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of GSK in the fourth quarter worth about $36,665,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GSK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, GSK has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.38.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK stock traded down $1.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $40.46. The stock had a trading volume of 6,328,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,846,692. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $37.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. GSK plc has a 12 month low of $31.72 and a 12 month high of $44.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.48 billion, a PE ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51.

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. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. The business had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. GSK's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that GSK plc will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.4216 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.17%. GSK's payout ratio is presently 86.60%.

GSK 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.