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

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-nine brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $105.12.

Several brokerages have recently commented on GILD. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised their target price 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. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 1.7 %

GILD stock opened at $111.16 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $138.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 300.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. Gilead Sciences has a twelve month low of $62.07 and a twelve month high of $119.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $105.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.58. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. Analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 854.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 17,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total value of $2,118,669.93. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares in the company, valued at $19,977,938.37. The trade was a 9.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 24.3% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 253,872 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $21,285,000 after purchasing an additional 49,604 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,923 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after buying an additional 1,628 shares in the last quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 79.2% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 7,835 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $657,000 after buying an additional 3,464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 20,884 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,751,000 after acquiring an additional 3,779 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.