GSK (NYSE:GSK) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” 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 Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $53.00 to $39.50 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Guggenheim cut shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.25.

GSK Stock Performance

GSK opened at $34.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.16 and its 200-day moving average is $38.66. The stock has a market cap of $70.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.64. GSK has a twelve month low of $32.83 and a twelve month high of $45.92.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.3928 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.61%. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 98.70%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of GSK by 73.8% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 711 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of GSK by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of GSK by 2.0% during the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,693 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of GSK by 6.3% during the second quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,535 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its position in shares of GSK by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 5,608 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.