Nkcfo LLC Invests $2.74 Million in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Nkcfo LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 29,655 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,739,000. Gilead Sciences accounts for about 1.2% of Nkcfo LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 101.9% in the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 6,788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.39, for a total transaction of $620,355.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $815,198.80. This represents a 43.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 248,645 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.76, for a total transaction of $23,064,310.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 138,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,886,126.44. This trade represents a 64.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 710,500 shares of company stock valued at $67,684,956. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GILD. UBS Group increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $70.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.33.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $104.08 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $93.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.55. The company has a market capitalization of $129.71 billion, a PE ratio of 1,156.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.18. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $106.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released 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 29.00% and a net margin of 0.45%. As a group, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3,422.22%.

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.