Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $117.16 and last traded at $117.01, with a volume of 1457128 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GILD. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Daiwa America raised shares of Gilead Sciences to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.24.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $143.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 312.00, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $98.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 854.05%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total transaction of $228,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,863,898.55. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 293,356 shares of company stock valued at $29,166,240. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines in the areas of unmet medical need in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company provides Biktarvy, Genvoya, Descovy, Odefsey, Truvada, Complera/ Eviplera, Stribild, Sunlencs, and Atripla products for the treatment of HIV/AIDS; Veklury, an injection for intravenous use, for the treatment of COVID-19; and Epclusa, Harvoni, Vemlidy, and Viread for the treatment of viral hepatitis.