Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $111.99 and last traded at $111.03, with a volume of 10491868 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $109.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $83.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.08.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $138.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 300.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $95.79 and its 200-day moving average is $89.08.

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

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 854.05%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.09, for a total transaction of $260,225.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,597,559.49. This trade represents a 1.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Merdad Parsey sold 164,211 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.92, for a total value of $15,094,275.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 80,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,427,227.92. The trade was a 67.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 706,212 shares of company stock worth $67,324,826. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at about $264,000. Ascent Group LLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 21,108 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after buying an additional 4,435 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 23,525 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,173,000 after acquiring an additional 4,867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,333,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Gilead Sciences

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.