Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Sells 613 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. cut its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,655 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 613 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences makes up about 2.1% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,186,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 8.9% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,923 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 79.2% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 7,835 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $657,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 23,730 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,990,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 3rd quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 79.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 33,162,319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,780,329,000 after buying an additional 14,680,161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $107.89 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $119.96. The company’s 50-day moving average is $104.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $134.36 billion, a PE ratio of 291.59, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. Equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 854.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GILD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.52.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 17,929 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total transaction of $2,118,669.93. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,977,938.37. This trade represents a 9.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences 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.