Westpac Banking Corp Has $11.32 Million Stock Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Westpac Banking Corp grew its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 92,247 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 5,787 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences makes up about 0.7% of Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $11,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Financial Consulate Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 85.8% in the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 54.8% in the 4th quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on GILD. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Maxim Group raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.93.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

Here are the key news stories impacting Gilead Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported strong Phase 3 IDEAL trial results for Livdelzi (seladelpar) in primary biliary cholangitis, showing statistically significant normalization of a key liver marker versus placebo after 52 weeks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted more favorable Livdelzi data, including long-term efficacy and safety findings and sustained liver-marker improvements, reinforcing the drug’s growth potential. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Gilead from hold to moderate buy, signaling improved analyst confidence in the stock’s outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Cencora agreed to support U.S. distribution of Kite’s FDA-approved CAR-T therapies, Yescarta and Tecartus, which supports commercialization of an important Gilead business unit. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead and Kite are also set to showcase additional oncology data at ASCO and EHA, which keeps the company in focus but does not yet provide a clear near-term earnings impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Daniel Patrick O’Day sold 15,000 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan. While routine, insider selling can still weigh on investor sentiment. Article Title

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD opened at $127.57 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $135.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.26. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.46 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The company has a market capitalization of $158.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $1,971,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,185,357.82. This trade represents a 2.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total value of $396,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,191 shares in the company, valued at $22,907,973.57. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,047,570 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.