Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Insider Sells $3,853,920.00 in Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total value of $3,853,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 118,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,273,727.76. This represents a 19.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Johanna Mercier also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 15th, Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $371,760.00.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of GILD traded up $4.52 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $143.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,756,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,107,176. The company has a fifty day moving average of $130.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.43. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.46 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The company has a market cap of $177.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.72 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The business had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -122.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners downgraded Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $158.04.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter worth about $15,393,785,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,617,152,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,316,606,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $918,387,000. Finally, Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $517,808,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.