Sandy Spring Bank Sells 280 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Sandy Spring Bank lessened its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,875 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Southland Equity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Bank lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 3,398 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 4,265 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,354 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 13,597 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. DZ Bank raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total value of $228,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,863,898.55. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $107.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $133.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 289.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.07 and a 1-year high of $119.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $103.68 and its 200 day moving average is $93.75.

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

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 854.05%.

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.