Brokerages Set GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) Target Price at $44.13

Shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.1250.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GSK. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of GSK in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of GSK in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded GSK from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in GSK by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 33,195,985 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,627,931,000 after buying an additional 968,370 shares in the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of GSK by 2,032.8% in the fourth quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 854,331 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $41,896,000 after acquiring an additional 814,275 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of GSK by 1.2% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 401,777 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $15,444,000 after acquiring an additional 4,855 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of GSK by 9.1% during the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 174,093 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,514,000 after acquiring an additional 14,505 shares during the period. Finally, Bard Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of GSK by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 158,145 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,826,000 after acquiring an additional 23,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK stock opened at $54.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $54.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.18. GSK has a 52 week low of $32.38 and a 52 week high of $61.69. The stock has a market cap of $110.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.44.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.4856 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. GSK’s payout ratio is presently 51.62%.

GSK Company Profile

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.