Will GlaxoSmithKline Continue to Trend Higher?

With shares of GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) trading around $53, is GSK an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

GlaxoSmithKline is global health care group engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceutical products. These products are vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products. GlaxoSmithKline's principal pharmaceutical products are medicines in these areas: respiratory, antivirals, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, antibacterials, oncology and emesis, dermatology, rare diseases, immuno-inflammation, vaccines, and HIV.

Chinese authorities are apparently likely to charge executives of GlaxoSmithKline on allegations of corruption, though the company as a whole will be spared, Reuters is reporting. Mark Reilly, Glaxo's former head of China operations, will also likely escape charges, as he has been voluntarily assisting authorities since they alleged that the multinational was funneling money to travel agencies to facilitate bribes to doctors and officials to boost its drug sales.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Strong

GlaxoSmithKline stock has trended higher in the past several years. The stock is currently trading near the top end of its range so it may need to rest at current prices. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, GlaxoSmithKline is trading above its rising key averages, which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of GlaxoSmithKline options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
GlaxoSmithKline Options	17.49%	20%	18%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a small amount of call and put options contracts as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
December Options	Flat	Average
January Options	Flat	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a small amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Decreasing Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on GlaxoSmithKline’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for GlaxoSmithKline look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1	2012 Q4
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	-12.65%	-66.67%	-28.21%	-26.92%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	-1.86%	-34.80%	-7.20%	-1.91%
Earnings Reaction	-0.11%	0.38%	0.01%	0.73%

GlaxoSmithKline has seen decreasing earnings and revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have been happy about GlaxoSmithKline’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Average Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has GlaxoSmithKline stock done relative to its peers, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), Merck (NYSE:MRK), Novartis (NYSE:NVS), and sector?

	GlaxoSmithKline	Pfizer	Merck	Novartis	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	22.20%	24.41%	11.94%	22.27%	21.20%

GlaxoSmithKline has been an average relative performer, year-to-date.

Conclusion

GlaxoSmithKline is a health care group that engages in many aspects of the pharmaceutical business around the world. Chinese authorities are apparently likely to charge executives of the company on allegations of corruption, though the company as a whole will be spared. The stock has trended higher in recent years but is currently trading near the top end of a yearly range. Over the past four quarters, investors have been happy as earnings and revenue figures have been declining. Relative to its peers and sector, GlaxoSmithKline has been an average year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what GlaxoSmithKline does this coming quarter.