Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Shares Acquired by Bell Bank

Bell Bank lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 118,187 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,546 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences comprises about 0.8% of Bell Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Bell Bank’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $10,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 101.9% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on GILD shares. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa America upgraded Gilead Sciences to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $70.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.08.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $109.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $137.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 297.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.18. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.07 and a 52-week high of $111.03. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 832.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 6,788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.39, for a total transaction of $620,355.32. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $815,198.80. The trade was a 43.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Merdad Parsey sold 164,211 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.92, for a total value of $15,094,275.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 80,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,427,227.92. This represents a 67.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 713,000 shares of company stock worth $67,945,181. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.