Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Shares Sold by Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.

Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,167 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,372,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 122.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 460,936 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $42,577,000 after buying an additional 253,994 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 284,243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,750,000 after buying an additional 14,009 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 54.6% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 37,051 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,422,000 after purchasing an additional 13,086 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,699,000. Finally, Capital International Inc. CA raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 312,209 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,839,000 after purchasing an additional 60,035 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GILD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $132.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $110.55.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.17, for a total transaction of $275,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 165,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,190,168.70. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.17, for a total value of $330,510.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 120,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,238,908.56. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 58,500 shares of company stock worth $6,340,745. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $111.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.34 and a 1 year high of $119.96. The company has a market capitalization of $138.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $107.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.02.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 20.76% and a return on equity of 51.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($1.32) EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 66.53%.

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.