Brokerages Set Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Target Price at $104.52

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $105.12.

Several research firms have recently commented on GILD. DZ Bank upgraded shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total value of $228,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,863,898.55. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Redwood Financial Network Corp raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp now owns 2,530 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,580 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Bank grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 3,398 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 4,265 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.2 %

GILD stock opened at $112.05 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $139.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 302.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $105.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Gilead Sciences has a 12 month low of $62.07 and a 12 month high of $119.96.

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 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. Sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.79 dividend. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 854.05%.

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.