Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Sells $725,100.00 in Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $146.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.55. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.46 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The firm has a market cap of $181.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.73 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Davidson Trust Co. increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 1,879 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 6,422 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GILD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.04.

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.