AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 466,851 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 15.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,567,238 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 466,851 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for about 1.5% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $315,103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,368,000 after acquiring an additional 4,113,999 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 154.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,089,283 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $342,910,000 after buying an additional 1,874,508 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 12.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,139,681 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,680,505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $133,049,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total value of $1,291,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 632,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,702,353.72. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total transaction of $422,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 128,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,152,687.84. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 63,000 shares of company stock worth $9,238,250. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 0.7%

GILD opened at $132.06 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $138.14 and a 200-day moving average of $133.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $163.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.86 and a 1-year high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Argus boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $157.04.

Gilead Sciences Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead’s product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.