GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate GSK “Hold” on average: Of 10 covering firms, six issued hold ratings, two sell ratings, one buy rating and one strong-buy rating. The average 12-month price target is $53.00, versus a recent share price of $51.54.
• GSK raised its quarterly dividend to $0.4515 per share from $0.44, implying an annualized dividend of $1.81 and a 3.5% yield. The dividend is payable October 8 to shareholders of record August 14.
• GSK has a market capitalization of approximately $104.3 billion and trades at a P/E ratio of 16.12. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company’s shares.

Shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $53.00.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GSK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded GSK to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered GSK from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen cut GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th.

GSK Stock Up 0.0%

GSK stock opened at $51.54 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.12, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.82. GSK has a one year low of $36.75 and a one year high of $61.69. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $51.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.53.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.4515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. GSK's payout ratio is presently 55.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,010 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in GSK by 15.3% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,508 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners lifted its stake in GSK by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 1,395 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp lifted its stake in GSK by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 536 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBT Bank N A NY grew its position in shares of GSK by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 16,568 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $914,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

About GSK

GSK (GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a London-headquartered, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company formed through the 2000 merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. The company is dual-listed and operates globally, developing, manufacturing and commercializing prescription medicines, vaccines and specialty treatments. Over its history GSK has evolved through portfolio reshaping and strategic transactions to focus on science-led pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

GSK's core activities include research and development of therapies and vaccines across a range of therapeutic areas, commercial manufacturing, and global marketing.

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