GSK (NYSE:GSK) Rating Increased to Strong Sell at Hsbc Global Res

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Hsbc Global Res to a "strong sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, April 28th,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on GSK in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.58.

GSK Price Performance

NYSE GSK traded up $0.02 on Monday, reaching $38.87. 2,000,499 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,725,897. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.00. The stock has a market cap of $80.19 billion, a PE ratio of 24.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. GSK has a 12 month low of $31.72 and a 12 month high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.52 billion. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co grew its position in shares of GSK by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in GSK in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of GSK by 195.5% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 789 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of GSK by 470.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 992 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

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.