Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on GILD. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. HSBC raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.68.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD opened at $121.60 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $123.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Gilead Sciences has a 1 year low of $88.57 and a 1 year high of $128.70. The stock has a market cap of $150.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.33.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.86% and a net margin of 27.88%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. Analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently 48.99%.

Insider Activity

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $366,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 106,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,958,962. This trade represents a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.83, for a total value of $1,248,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,740,911.34. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 136,257 shares of company stock worth $16,855,192 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Putney Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 53.4% in the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Gilead Sciences

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.