GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $37.38.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GSK. Wall Street Zen cut GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. BNP Paribas began coverage on GSK in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 price objective for the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded GSK to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd.

GSK Price Performance

GSK opened at $42.50 on Friday. GSK has a 12-month low of $31.72 and a 12-month high of $44.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.60. The company has a market capitalization of $87.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.73, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.52.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.52 billion. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. The firm’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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.4216 dividend. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.60%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 1.8% in the first quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,227 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its holdings in GSK by 4.6% during the first quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 6,407 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in GSK by 6.5% during the first quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 4,659 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in GSK by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwest Bank & Trust Co now owns 22,405 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $765,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.