Fulton Bank N.A. Raises Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 37.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 21,896 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,968 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management now owns 2,367 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 73,969 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $9,079,000 after acquiring an additional 1,655 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 633,185 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $77,219,000 after acquiring an additional 37,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 122,727 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $14,519,000 after acquiring an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on GILD. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.62.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $137.21 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.40. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.37 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The firm has a market cap of $170.34 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.98.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.90 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.45%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $432,690.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 179,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,844,717.93. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.79, for a total value of $1,447,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 642,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,999,775.32. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 309,280 shares of company stock worth $44,068,850. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.