Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC Sells 11,992 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC reduced its holdings in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 31.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 26,447 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 11,992 shares during the quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in GSK were worth $894,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co boosted its holdings in GSK by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of GSK during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of GSK in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in GSK by 470.1% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 992 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new position in GSK during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

GSK Stock Performance

Shares of GSK stock opened at $36.25 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $74.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $37.48 and a 200-day moving average of $35.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.52. GSK plc has a one year low of $31.72 and a one year high of $45.93.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $10.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.52 billion. GSK had a net margin of 8.13% and a return on equity of 48.59%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that GSK plc will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.4216 per share. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on GSK. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on GSK in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on GSK in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.25 target price for the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of GSK to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, GSK currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.58.

GSK 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.