Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Insider Johanna Mercier Sells 28,000 Shares of Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total transaction of $3,853,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 118,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,273,727.76. The trade was a 19.15% 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 hyperlink. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $371,760.00.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 3.3%

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

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is -122.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GILD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Maxim Group upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $158.04.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% 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.