UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 1,605,730 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,234,672 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,605,730 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $1,130,117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GILD. Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 29,181 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,695,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 232.1% in the 4th quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 908,894 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $83,955,000 after acquiring an additional 635,209 shares during the last quarter. WBI Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 50.1% in the 4th quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 29,146 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 9,731 shares in the last quarter. St. Clair Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at $482,000. Finally, Triglav Skladi D.O.O. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth $1,478,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.82, for a total value of $249,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 165,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,537,578.68. This trade represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 22,929 shares of company stock worth $2,634,220. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on GILD shares. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. DZ Bank upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.55.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 3.6%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $106.16 on Tuesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.07 and a 12-month high of $119.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 286.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $105.60 and a 200 day moving average of $99.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.04. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($1.32) EPS. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.53%.

Gilead Sciences Profile

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.