17,586 Shares in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Purchased by Strategic Global Advisors LLC

Strategic Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 17,586 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,222,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $148.09 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.58. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.46 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company has a market capitalization of $183.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -55.46 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -122.85%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total value of $3,853,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 118,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,273,727.76. This represents a 19.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.31, for a total transaction of $1,954,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 592,133 shares in the company, valued at $77,160,851.23. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 87,000 shares of company stock worth $11,562,960. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GILD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners cut Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Maxim Group raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.04.

About Gilead Sciences

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.