Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Acquires 568,319 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 330.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 740,097 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 568,319 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Gilead Sciences worth $68,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total value of $13,822,739.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. The trade was a 52.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.6 %

GILD stock opened at $111.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $139.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 302.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.90. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.07 and a 1-year high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share 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%. 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 854.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on GILD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.12.

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.