GSK (LON:GSK) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• GSK plc's share price reached a new 52-week high at GBX 1,592.50, with a current trading price of GBX 1,569.91, representing a strong interest with a volume of over 14.9 million shares traded.
• Equities research analysts overall rate GSK as a "Hold", with a consensus target price of GBX 1,637.50, while one analyst has a "Buy" rating and others have given "Hold" and "Sell" ratings.
• Insider activity has shown some confidence as Wendy Becker purchased 526 shares at an average price of GBX 1,503, contributing to a total insider buy of £841,184 in the last ninety days.

GSK plc (LON:GSK - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 1,592.50 ($21.41) and last traded at GBX 1,569.91 ($21.11), with a volume of 14939357 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,518 ($20.41).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GSK shares. Shore Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 2,100 price target on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on GSK from GBX 1,460 to GBX 1,400 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 1,450 price target on shares of GSK in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 1,600 price target on shares of GSK in a report on Friday, July 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, GSK presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 1,637.50.

GSK Trading Up 2.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of £64.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,949.82, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 114.64. The business has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 1,451.39 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 1,431.89.

GSK (LON:GSK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported GBX 75.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. GSK had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 8.02%. Analysts anticipate that GSK plc will post 175.980975 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Wendy Becker acquired 526 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 1,503 per share, for a total transaction of £7,905.78. Insiders bought a total of 561 shares of company stock valued at $841,184 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

About GSK

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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