GSK (NYSE:GSK) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of GSK (NYSE:GSK) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on GSK. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of GSK in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.58.

GSK Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GSK opened at $37.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.78. GSK has a 52-week low of $31.72 and a 52-week high of $45.93. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.02. The firm has a market cap of $77.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.56.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. As a group, research analysts forecast that GSK will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.3932 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.20%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.63%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its position in GSK by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 11,506 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank grew its position in shares of GSK by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 4,659 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the period. Northwest Bank & Trust Co increased its stake in shares of GSK by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 22,405 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC raised its holdings in shares of GSK by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 14,009 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in GSK by 2.1% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 18,403 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.