Andrew D. Dickinson Sells 17,929 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 17,929 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,977,938.37. The trade was a 9.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD traded down $0.44 on Wednesday, hitting $113.99. 8,065,860 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,248,752. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $100.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.50. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $62.07 and a one year high of $119.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 308.08, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 854.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on GILD shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Daiwa America upgraded Gilead Sciences to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.52.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

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.