Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Position Lifted by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 244,195 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,623 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $22,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $107.51 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.47. The company has a market cap of $133.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 290.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.07 and a fifty-two week high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 854.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GILD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total transaction of $13,822,739.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. This trade represents a 52.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.