Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Sets New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on the stock from $153.00 to $159.00. Rothschild & Co Redburn currently has a buy rating on the stock. Gilead Sciences traded as high as $129.17 and last traded at $129.2410, with a volume of 4156427 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $124.14.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $151.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total value of $625,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,115,713.60. This represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $366,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 153,503 shares in the company, valued at $18,727,366. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 136,757 shares of company stock valued at $16,951,612. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% during the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Putney Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 53.4% during the 2nd quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 4.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $160.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.33. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $123.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.42 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.86% and a net margin of 27.88%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 48.99%.

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.