Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Sells 564,100 Shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its holdings in shares of GSK plc (NYSE:GSK) by 41.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 799,200 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 564,100 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in GSK were worth $32,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 8.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 29,008,928 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,185,885,000 after buying an additional 2,224,345 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 4.9% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,576,930 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $759,425,000 after buying an additional 870,449 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 61.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 433,628 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $17,728,000 after buying an additional 165,556 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of GSK by 20.0% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 500,495 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $20,460,000 after buying an additional 83,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nwam LLC bought a new stake in GSK in the third quarter valued at approximately $625,000. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at GSK

In other GSK news, major shareholder Plc Gsk bought 2,791,930 shares of GSK stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $8.00 per share, for a total transaction of $22,335,440.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 16,775,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,205,528. This trade represents a 19.97 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 10.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on GSK shares. Argus raised shares of GSK to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $53.00 to $39.50 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays raised shares of GSK to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of GSK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.25.

GSK Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of GSK stock opened at $34.32 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $37.56 and a 200-day moving average of $40.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. GSK plc has a 12-month low of $32.83 and a 12-month high of $45.92. The company has a market capitalization of $71.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.66.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.3928 per share. This is an increase from GSK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is currently 99.35%.

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.