Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $246.67 Million Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 0.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,769,886 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,880 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.14% of Gilead Sciences worth $246,669,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GILD. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Davidson Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.1% during the first quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 1,879 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $130.04 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $161.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.11. 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 $107.75 and a 1-year high of $157.29.

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

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.29, for a total transaction of $1,894,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 607,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,674,826.57. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 171,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,524,408.40. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 77,000 shares of company stock worth $9,978,740. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on GILD. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Gilead Sciences from $168.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. HSBC upgraded 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. Citigroup raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.04.

About Gilead Sciences

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.