Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Cuts Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 16.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,725 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 5,653 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 101.9% in the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $111.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $138.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 301.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.18. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.07 and a 52 week high of $112.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $96.17 and a 200 day moving average of $89.35.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 8,500 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.96, for a total value of $781,660.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 132,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,173,021.08. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 542,001 shares of company stock valued at $52,230,551 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GILD has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $70.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Maxim Group downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Eleven equities research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.08.

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.