Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Shares Sold by Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,251 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 367 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $3,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 198.3% during the second quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 358 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 51.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $137,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 96,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,614,559.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $137,260.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,614,559.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 29,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.78, for a total transaction of $2,459,529.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 78,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,545,480.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 36,847 shares of company stock valued at $3,002,940. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on GILD shares. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.06.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD opened at $83.94 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.07 and a 52-week high of $87.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $76.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.26. The company has a market cap of $104.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 233.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.40. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $6.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.64 billion. On average, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 855.56%.

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.