China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $21.59 Million Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 175,928 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,773 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for approximately 1.7% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $21,593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 1,016 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the third quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 7,325 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $813,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 29,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,584,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. This trade represents a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $17,346,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 613,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,086,800. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,640 shares of company stock valued at $26,691,550. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GILD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.35.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD opened at $133.64 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $93.37 and a one year high of $157.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.90.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 48.45%.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead’s product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.