Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 999,329 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 70,214 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Gilead Sciences worth $92,273,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GILD. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $39,908,000. First Western Trust Bank boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Western Trust Bank now owns 56,093 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,181,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the period. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 158.8% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 352 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Pitcairn Co. raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 6,845 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $107.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $133.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 289.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.07 and a 12-month high of $119.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company’s 50-day moving average is $107.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.89.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. Research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 854.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total transaction of $13,822,739.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,626,253.06. This trade represents a 52.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250. 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.