Anthony Welters Sells 18,000 Shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total transaction of $2,675,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,916,306.28. The trade was a 58.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $145.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $180.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -54.56 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.46 and a 52-week high of $157.29. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is -122.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter worth $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Gilead Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved Bixlenvo, a once-daily single-tablet regimen combining bictegravir and lenacapavir for virologically suppressed adults with HIV. It is the first and only single-tablet option for patients on complex regimens who cannot use currently available alternatives, potentially expanding Gilead’s HIV franchise and supporting its longer-term lenacapavir strategy. Reuters FDA approval article
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Trodelvy plus Keytruda for certain first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients, strengthening Gilead’s oncology portfolio and adding a potential growth opportunity outside its core HIV business. EU Trodelvy approval article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of approximately $158. However, GILD’s strong multi-year advance may have raised expectations and limited the immediate upside from the Bixlenvo approval. Gilead valuation article
• Negative Sentiment: Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares worth about $2.68 million, reducing his position by roughly 58%. The sale occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, making it a limited bearish signal, but it may still weigh modestly on investor sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GILD shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. HSBC upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Company 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.