Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $118.81 and last traded at $118.87, with a volume of 456889 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $117.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GILD shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective 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. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.24.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $99.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.62. 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 firm has a market cap of $148.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 320.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 854.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 8,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.96, for a total transaction of $781,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 a total of 293,356 shares of company stock worth $29,166,240 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% 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.