GSK (NYSE:GSK) Shares Down 5.7% - Should You Sell?

GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) shares dropped 5.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $37.88 and last traded at $36.09. Approximately 3,207,867 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 5,040,215 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on GSK in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target on the stock. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, GSK has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.38.

GSK Stock Down 4.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $39.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.72 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.50.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. GSK had a net margin of 9.89% and a return on equity of 48.82%. The company 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 earned $0.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that GSK PLC Sponsored ADR will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.4216 per share. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.62%. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. GSK's dividend payout ratio is currently 88.14%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GSK. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of GSK by 1.8% during the first quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,227 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in GSK by 4.6% in the first quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 6,407 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank boosted its stake in GSK by 6.5% in the first quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 4,659 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co boosted its stake in GSK by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 22,405 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $765,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneAscent Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in GSK by 3.9% in the first quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 7,700 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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