GSK (NYSE:GSK) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of GSK (NYSE:GSKFree Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. HSBC upgraded GSK from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Friday, July 24th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised GSK to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded GSK from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.00.

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GSK Price Performance

Shares of GSK stock opened at $51.52 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $51.74 and a 200-day moving average of $53.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.36. GSK has a 12-month low of $36.75 and a 12-month high of $61.69.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.4515 per share. This represents a $1.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 55.94%.

Institutional Trading of GSK

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GSK. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in GSK in the 4th quarter worth about $528,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in GSK by 182.7% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 30,188 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 19,509 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of GSK by 146.6% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 29,529 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,448,000 after purchasing an additional 17,553 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates bought a new position in shares of GSK in the first quarter worth about $2,522,000. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in GSK during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,385,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GSK Company Profile

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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.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for GSK (NYSE:GSK)

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