Jeffrey Bluestone Sells 5,000 Shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $146.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The business has a 50 day moving average of $131.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.59. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.46 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The company has a market cap of $181.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.73 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The business had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.51 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GILD shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. HSBC raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.04.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Saudi Central Bank lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 89.7% in the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 86,886 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $10,977,000 after purchasing an additional 41,091 shares during the period. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 1,769 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at $671,000. AlphaGrep UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at $658,000. Finally, Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth $361,000. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead’s product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.