Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $131.68.

GILD has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. HSBC raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, Director Kelly A. Kramer sold 2,805 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.10, for a total transaction of $356,515.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,186.90. The trade was a 67.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total value of $625,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,115,713.60. This represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 126,257 shares of company stock valued at $15,606,892. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 2,837.5% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 53.4% in the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $124.91 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $122.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.45. Gilead Sciences has a 1-year low of $88.57 and a 1-year high of $128.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 27.88% and a return on equity of 51.86%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.99%.

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.