Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Jeffrey Bluestone Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.74, for a total value of $548,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $978,880.80. The trade was a 35.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $109.06 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $135.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.29. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $70.33 and a 12 month high of $119.96. The business’s 50-day moving average is $108.15 and its 200 day moving average is $104.91.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.04. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.93% and a net margin of 20.76%. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.32) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.90%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 66.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GILD. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $132.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GILD. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,326,000 after buying an additional 2,450 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth $339,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,399 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 334,737 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,920,000 after purchasing an additional 165,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choate Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 9,722 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.