Westpac Banking Corp Has $11.15 Million Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Westpac Banking Corp lessened its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 13.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 80,033 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 12,214 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences comprises about 0.8% of Westpac Banking Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $11,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aviva PLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 1,156,738 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $141,978,000 after purchasing an additional 59,782 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,418,000. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 111,531 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,689,000 after buying an additional 10,449 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 150.3% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 17,147 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 10,296 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 243,532 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $29,891,000 after buying an additional 76,432 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 171,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,524,408.40. This trade represents a 1.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.29, for a total transaction of $1,894,350.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 607,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,674,826.57. This trade represents a 2.41% 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. Insiders have sold 77,000 shares of company stock worth $9,978,740 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $130.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $129.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.06 and a 12 month high of $157.29. The company has a market capitalization of $161.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.77 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GILD shares. 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 research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $168.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.33.

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.