Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $2.06 Million Position in GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,817 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in GSK were worth $2,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GSK. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co raised its position in GSK by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 750 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in GSK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in GSK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in GSK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GSK Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of GSK stock opened at $37.64 on Friday. GSK plc has a 1 year low of $31.72 and a 1 year high of $45.80. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

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

GSK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.4216 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.48%. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK’s payout ratio is currently 86.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.