GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Shares Purchased by Provident Trust Co.

Provident Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 53.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,716,830 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,297,385 shares during the quarter. GSK comprises 2.8% of Provident Trust Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Provident Trust Co. owned 0.18% of GSK worth $137,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in GSK by 2,816.7% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 700 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in GSK during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in GSK by 271.8% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 885 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in GSK by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,327 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in GSK by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,515 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company's stock.

GSK Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of GSK stock traded up $0.20 on Friday, reaching $41.11. 2,730,464 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,904,690. GSK plc has a 52 week low of $33.33 and a 52 week high of $43.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.20 billion, a PE ratio of 13.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.64. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $41.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.96.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.3564 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a positive change from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. GSK's payout ratio is 52.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GSK. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded GSK from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Guggenheim upgraded GSK from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Citigroup upgraded GSK from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on GSK in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.