The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $44.60 Million Stake in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,318,799 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 300,310 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.06% of GSK worth $44,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 23,814,104 shares during the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 70.1% in the 4th quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 25,261,660 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $854,349,000 after acquiring an additional 10,407,905 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its holdings 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 valued at $76,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,855 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its position in shares of GSK by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 5,838,384 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $205,920,000 after purchasing an additional 874,004 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY acquired a new position in shares of GSK in the 4th quarter valued at $23,366,000. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.58.

GSK Stock Performance

GSK traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $39.04. 4,287,271 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,744,279. The company has a market capitalization of $80.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.55, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $37.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.02. GSK plc has a fifty-two week low of $31.72 and a fifty-two week high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict 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 $0.4216 dividend. This is a positive change from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. GSK's dividend 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.