GSK (NYSE:GSK) Cut to “Underweight” at Barclays

Barclays downgraded shares of GSK (NYSE:GSK) from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports.

GSK has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America raised GSK from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Cfra set a $53.00 price objective on GSK in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of GSK in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $44.13.

GSK Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of GSK stock opened at $50.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $102.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. GSK has a fifty-two week low of $31.72 and a fifty-two week high of $51.46. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.98.

GSK (NYSE:GSK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.22. GSK had a net margin of 17.16% and a return on equity of 48.64%. The business had revenue of $11.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. GSK has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.730-4.810 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that GSK will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GSK Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.4171 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.67 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. GSK’s dividend payout ratio is 46.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Plc Gsk acquired 1,470,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $19.00 per share, for a total transaction of $27,930,000.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 18,245,691 shares in the company, valued at $346,668,129. This trade represents a 8.76% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 10.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GSK

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of GSK in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. CNB Bank acquired a new position in shares of GSK in the third quarter valued at $31,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in GSK by 252.1% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 845 shares of the pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in GSK in the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in GSK during the second quarter worth $37,000. 15.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More GSK News

Here are the key news stories impacting GSK this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bepirovirsen phase III success — GSK’s experimental chronic hepatitis B drug met primary endpoints in two large Phase III trials, boosting the probability of a regulatory filing and a high‑value new product for a large addressable market. GSK’s chronic hepatitis B treatment meets main goal in key studies — Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory/approval path advancing — GSK said it will file for approval of a twice‑yearly hepatitis B regimen following the positive Phase III data, a clear near‑term commercialization pathway if regulators agree. GSK to file for approval of twice-yearly hep B drug — Yahoo
• Positive Sentiment: AI and precision‑med collaboration to accelerate R&D — GSK licensed Noetik’s foundation models and struck a multi‑year AI/model deal (reported as a ~$50M wager), and entered a collaboration with Helix for precision medicines — both moves aim to speed drug discovery and reduce development cost/time. GSK Licenses Noetik’s AI Foundation Models — Yahoo GSK Enters Multi-Year Collaboration with Helix — PharmExec
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst tightening of estimates — Zacks Research nudged up several near‑term and FY EPS estimates, reflecting improved visibility from trial wins and supporting a higher earnings trajectory. (Zacks research notes)
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory win in Japan — GSK’s Exdensur received MHLW approval for severe asthma and CRSwNP, adding a marketed product and incremental revenue in Japan. Exdensur receives Japan MHLW approval — Pharmabiz
• Neutral Sentiment: Market is waiting for full datasets and regulatory timing — while headlines are positive, investors typically await full trial data packages and regulator feedback before repricing significantly higher. GSK touts positive Phase III trial results for bepirovirsen — The Pharma Letter
• Negative Sentiment: Broker downgrade — Barclays cut GSK to “Underweight,” which can trigger selling from model‑driven funds and increase intraday volatility. GSK rating lowered to Underweight at Barclays — AmericanBankingNews
• Negative Sentiment: Royalty/legal dispute — AnaptysBio filed a partial motion to dismiss a claim by GSK’s oncology unit over royalties tied to Jemperli sales; ongoing legal uncertainty around royalties could be a headline risk and potential P&L/contingent liability overhang. AnaptysBio seeks partial dismissal in GSK oncology unit dispute — Reuters

About GSK

GSK (GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a London-headquartered, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company formed through the 2000 merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. The company is dual-listed and operates globally, developing, manufacturing and commercializing prescription medicines, vaccines and specialty treatments. Over its history GSK has evolved through portfolio reshaping and strategic transactions to focus on science-led pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

GSK’s core activities include research and development of therapies and vaccines across a range of therapeutic areas, commercial manufacturing, and global marketing.