Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Sells 16,258 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV reduced its stake in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,087 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 16,258 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in GSK were worth $4,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in GSK by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,823,032 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,786,475,000 after purchasing an additional 23,814,104 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its position 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 valued at $854,349,000 after buying an additional 10,407,905 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its stake in GSK by 132.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 2,247,691 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $76,017,000 after buying an additional 1,281,855 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in GSK by 68.2% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 2,237,034 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $75,656,000 after acquiring an additional 907,068 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD grew its stake in GSK by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 5,838,384 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $205,920,000 after acquiring an additional 874,004 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

GSK Stock Down 0.7 %

GSK traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $36.63. 3,511,468 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,786,523. The stock has a market cap of $75.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. GSK plc has a 1-year low of $31.72 and a 1-year high of $45.93. The stock's 50-day moving average is $37.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.4216 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.60%. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK's dividend payout ratio is currently 86.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GSK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. 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 for the company. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, GSK currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $40.58.

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.