Heartland Bank & Trust Co Makes New $848,000 Investment in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Heartland Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,712 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $848,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 0.9% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Davidson Trust Co. raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 1,879 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 328 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD opened at $146.12 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $108.46 and a one year high of $157.29. The company has a market cap of $181.18 billion, a PE ratio of -54.73 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $131.97 and a 200-day moving average of $136.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.The business had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total value of $3,853,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 118,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,273,727.76. This trade represents a 19.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 87,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,562,960 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GILD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Leerink Partners lowered Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences 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.