GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) Short Interest Up 52.2% in April

GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,350,000 shares, a growth of 52.2% from the March 31st total of 4,830,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,510,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of GSK from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised GSK from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on GSK in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Finally, Guggenheim raised GSK from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

GSK Stock Up 0.5 %

GSK traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $41.11. 2,730,464 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,904,690. The stock has a market cap of $85.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.64. GSK has a 1-year low of $33.33 and a 1-year high of $43.84. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The pharmaceutical company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.79 billion. GSK had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 16.24%. Sell-side analysts predict that GSK will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.3564 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. This is a boost from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. GSK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GSK

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Callahan Advisors LLC bought a new stake in GSK in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,119,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN boosted its stake in GSK by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 3,961 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in GSK by 305.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 118,233 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,383,000 after acquiring an additional 89,089 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in GSK by 23.6% during the third quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 76,840 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,785,000 after acquiring an additional 14,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of GSK in the fourth quarter worth about $7,024,000. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GSK Company 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.