Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $97.96.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GILD shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $94.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $89.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $91.94 and its 200-day moving average is $83.54. The company has a market cap of $112.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 999.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.18. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $62.07 and a 52-week high of $98.90.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.44. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 29.00% and a net margin of 0.45%. The firm had revenue of $7.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 3,422.22%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 164,211 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.92, for a total transaction of $15,094,275.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 80,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,427,227.92. The trade was a 67.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 248,645 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.76, for a total transaction of $23,064,310.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 138,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,886,126.44. This trade represents a 64.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 453,734 shares of company stock valued at $41,902,086 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $471,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $68,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,150 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $753,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 11,172 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 2,617 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 13,481 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 3,931 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Company 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.