Insider Selling: Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Insider Sells $432,660.00 in Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.22, for a total transaction of $432,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 116,684 shares in the company, valued at $16,828,166.48. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Johanna Mercier also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 17th, Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total transaction of $3,853,920.00.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ:GILD traded up $1.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $147.68. The stock had a trading volume of 5,078,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,907,595. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.46 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company has a market capitalization of $183.12 billion, a PE ratio of -55.31 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.18.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.48 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -122.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Maxim Group raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group reduced 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.78.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead expanded six royalty-free voluntary licensing agreements to include the investigational once-yearly formulation of lenacapavir for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. The agreements cover 120 primarily low- and lower-middle-income countries and support manufacturing readiness, technology transfer and future supply planning. The move strengthens Gilead’s global HIV-prevention strategy and could broaden the treatment’s long-term reach if approved. Gilead Accelerates Global Access Planning for Investigational Once-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and the Pan American Health Organization agreed to expand access to twice-yearly lenacapavir across Latin America and the Caribbean, adding 14 countries to the company’s access efforts. Broader distribution may support future commercial adoption and reinforces lenacapavir’s growth potential in HIV prevention. Gilead and PAHO Announce Lenacapavir Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: The licensing and PAHO announcements are strategically favorable but are not expected to produce an immediate material revenue contribution, since access agreements emphasize affordability and the once-yearly product remains subject to clinical and regulatory approval.
• Negative Sentiment: Gilead’s $0.82-per-share dividend went ex-dividend on September 15. The resulting mechanical share-price adjustment can create short-term pressure, though the payout remains supportive for income-focused investors. Gilead Sciences Dividend Analysis

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at about $15,393,785,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,240,518 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,393,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151,213 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,617,152,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,584,341 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,912,822,000 after buying an additional 444,660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 10,539,111 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,468,836,000 after buying an additional 1,018,976 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 is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. The company’s research focuses primarily on virology, oncology, inflammation and related areas, with products serving patients in the United States and international markets.

Gilead is best known for its HIV treatments, including Biktarvy, Genvoya, Descovy and other antiretroviral therapies. Its portfolio also includes medicines for viral hepatitis, such as Epclusa and Vemlidy, and Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19.