Mizuho Securities USA LLC Increases Stock Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 46.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 118,118 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37,387 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $10,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GILD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.52.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of GILD opened at $107.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $133.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 289.41, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.75. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.07 and a twelve month high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total value of $13,822,739.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. This trade represents a 52.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.