Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) CFO Sells $2,118,669.93 in Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 17,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total value of $2,118,669.93. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 169,061 shares in the company, valued at $19,977,938.37. The trade was a 9.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $111.44 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.71. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.07 and a 52 week high of $119.96. The company has a market cap of $138.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 301.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 854.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GILD shares. Mizuho increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wolfe Research started coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.52.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

About Gilead Sciences

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.