Smithfield Trust Co Sells 3,558 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Smithfield Trust Co lowered its stake in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 64.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,995 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 3,558 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in GSK were worth $68,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in GSK by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 126,647 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,283,000 after buying an additional 5,044 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in GSK by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 57,320 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,939,000 after buying an additional 7,585 shares in the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its stake in GSK by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 10,518 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in GSK in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,136,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in GSK by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 72,435 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after buying an additional 16,185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 15.74% of the company’s stock.

GSK Stock Performance

Shares of GSK stock opened at $38.79 on Thursday. GSK plc has a 12 month low of $31.72 and a 12 month high of $45.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $35.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.20.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.15. GSK had a return on equity of 48.59% and a net margin of 8.13%. Equities research analysts forecast that GSK plc will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.3932 per share. This represents a $1.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $39.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on GSK in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.25.

About GSK

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.