Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Insider Johanna Mercier Sells 28,000 Shares

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $3,676,120.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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.

Johanna Mercier also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, April 15th, Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total value of $422,880.00.
• On Monday, March 16th, Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total value of $432,690.00.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Gilead Sciences stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $129.67. 5,181,495 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,755,550. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.97. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.84 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 0.31.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,617,152,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $517,808,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,368,000 after buying an additional 4,113,999 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,121,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,837,948,000 after buying an additional 3,046,688 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $14,863,487,000 after buying an additional 2,113,692 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.04.

Gilead Sciences Company 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.