GSK (NYSE:GSK) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

GSK (NYSE:GSK) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on GSK. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of GSK in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, GSK has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $44.13.

GSK Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of GSK stock opened at $54.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. GSK has a 12-month low of $32.38 and a 12-month high of $61.69. The company has a market capitalization of $111.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $53.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.87.

Insider Transactions at GSK

In other news, major shareholder Plc Gsk bought 1,470,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $19.00 per share, for a total transaction of $27,930,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 18,245,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $346,668,129. This trade represents a 8.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 10.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in GSK by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 32,227,615 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,390,944,000 after buying an additional 889,210 shares during the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in GSK by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 158,145 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $6,826,000 after acquiring an additional 23,400 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in GSK in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $528,000. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of GSK by 184.6% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 138,898 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,334,000 after acquiring an additional 90,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in GSK by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 49,279 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 17,273 shares during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About GSK

GSK (GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a London-headquartered, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company formed through the 2000 merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. The company is dual-listed and operates globally, developing, manufacturing and commercializing prescription medicines, vaccines and specialty treatments. Over its history GSK has evolved through portfolio reshaping and strategic transactions to focus on science-led pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

GSK’s core activities include research and development of therapies and vaccines across a range of therapeutic areas, commercial manufacturing, and global marketing.