Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Coverage Initiated at Scotiabank

Equities research analysts at Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “sector outperform” rating and a $140.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Scotiabank’s price objective points to a potential upside of 10.19% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.83.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 3.0%

Gilead Sciences stock traded up $3.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $127.06. The stock had a trading volume of 666,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,930,118. Gilead Sciences has a 12 month low of $86.08 and a 12 month high of $126.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.64 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 50.99% and a net margin of 21.86%.The firm had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total value of $354,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 110,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,011,589.44. The trade was a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 157,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,545,054.40. The trade was a 1.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 71,500 shares of company stock valued at $8,336,040 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 2,837.5% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% during the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 53.4% during the 2nd quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.