Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Shares Sold by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 425,473 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 45,099 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $39,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during 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 during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 3.0%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $98.38 on Thursday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.07 and a 12 month high of $119.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $122.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 265.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $106.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.50.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.04. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($1.32) EPS. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.53%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total value of $266,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 168,174 shares in the company, valued at $17,893,713.60. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,929 shares of company stock worth $2,644,895. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.55.

About Gilead Sciences

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.