GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,350,000 shares, an increase of 52.2% from the March 31st total of 4,830,000 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,510,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of GSK from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Citigroup upgraded shares of GSK from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of GSK from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $41.11. 2,730,464 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,904,690. The company has a market capitalization of $85.20 billion, a PE ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.64. GSK has a 12-month low of $33.33 and a 12-month high of $43.84. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $41.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.04). GSK had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 16.24%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.79 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that GSK will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.3564 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. This is a boost from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. GSK's payout ratio is 52.82%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GSK. Callahan Advisors LLC purchased a new position in GSK in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,119,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN grew its stake in shares of GSK by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 3,961 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of GSK by 305.7% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 118,233 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,383,000 after acquiring an additional 89,089 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of GSK by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 76,840 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,785,000 after acquiring an additional 14,689 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of GSK during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,024,000. 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.