Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Has $2.19 Million Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. cut its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 23,655 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 613 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences makes up about 2.1% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,186,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total value of $13,822,739.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. This trade represents a 52.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250 over the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $107.89 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.07 and a 12-month high of $119.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $104.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.36. The company has a market capitalization of $134.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 291.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. Analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 854.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on GILD. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.52.

Gilead Sciences Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines in the areas of unmet medical need in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company provides Biktarvy, Genvoya, Descovy, Odefsey, Truvada, Complera/ Eviplera, Stribild, Sunlencs, and Atripla products for the treatment of HIV/AIDS; Veklury, an injection for intravenous use, for the treatment of COVID-19; and Epclusa, Harvoni, Vemlidy, and Viread for the treatment of viral hepatitis.