Simmons Bank Grows Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Simmons Bank grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,058 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $3,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 101.9% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $110.46 on Thursday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.07 and a 1-year high of $112.11. The company has a market capitalization of $137.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 298.54, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $96.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.49. 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 (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. Sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 854.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GILD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Finally, Daiwa America raised Gilead Sciences to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.08.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.96, for a total transaction of $781,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 132,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,173,021.08. This trade represents a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 542,001 shares of company stock valued at $52,230,551 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.