Highland Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 15,819 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,756,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 2,837.5% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth $27,000. Putney Financial Group LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 53.4% during the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.8%

GILD stock opened at $124.70 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $88.57 and a 1-year high of $128.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The business’s 50 day moving average is $122.95 and its 200-day moving average is $116.61. The firm has a market cap of $154.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.86% and a net margin of 27.88%.Gilead Sciences’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 48.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GILD shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $366,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 106,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,958,962. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kelly A. Kramer sold 2,805 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.10, for a total transaction of $356,515.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $170,186.90. This trade represents a 67.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 136,257 shares of company stock worth $16,723,492 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead’s product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.