Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Receives Neutral Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald restated their neutral rating on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $70.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on GILD. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Robert W. Baird reissued a neutral rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Gilead Sciences from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $93.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $82.06.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $80.94 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $74.82 and a 200-day moving average of $70.72. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $62.07 and a 52-week high of $87.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 224.83, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.18.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.64 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 3.79%. As a group, analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.81%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 855.56%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 2,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $137,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,380 shares in the company, valued at $6,614,559.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $137,260.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,380 shares in the company, valued at $6,614,559.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 5,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.98, for a total transaction of $406,150.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 114,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,506,146.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $1,649,000. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 6,791 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,473 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $561,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 47.2% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,313 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 2,024 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.