WealthTrust Axiom LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

WealthTrust Axiom LLC cut its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,852 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 713 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for about 1.4% of WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $4,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GILD. Bank of America boosted their price target 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. DZ Bank raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.12.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $103.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $129.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 280.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.79. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.07 and a 52 week high of $119.96. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. Equities research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total transaction of $228,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at $11,863,898.55. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250 in the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Company 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.