Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK – Get Rating) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,508.75.

A number of brokerages have commented on GSK. StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of GSK from GBX 1,800 ($22.29) to GBX 1,450 ($17.95) in a report on Friday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of GSK from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. UBS Group cut shares of GSK from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, November 11th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of GSK from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research note on Friday, December 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GSK

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GSK. Pflug Koory LLC purchased a new position in GSK during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC grew its stake in GSK by 339.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 777 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Castle Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in GSK during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in GSK during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new position in GSK during the second quarter valued at $32,000. 13.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GSK Stock Down 0.1 %

GSK (NYSE:GSK – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 2nd. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.19. GSK had a net margin of 37.88% and a return on equity of 32.18%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.75 billion. Research analysts anticipate that GSK will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

GSK Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.3695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 17th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.19%. GSK's payout ratio is 16.05%.

GSK Company Profile

(Get Rating)

GSK Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation.

Further Reading

• Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on GSK (GSK)
• MarketBeat Week in Review – 1/23- 1/27
• Why Lucid Spiked Nearly 100% In One Day
• Ride These Railroad Stocks for Growth and Income
• ASML Sees Demand For Chips Rallying This Year, Boosts Sales View
• KLA Corporation: Strength In A Troubled Semi-Market

Receive News & Ratings for GSK Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GSK and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.