Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Anthony Welters Sells 18,000 Shares

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total transaction of $2,675,160.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,916,306.28. The trade was a 58.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $148.86 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. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.46 and a 52-week high of $157.29. The firm has a market cap of $184.58 billion, a PE ratio of -55.75 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $133.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.55.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The business had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on GILD. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price target on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Barclays decreased their price objective on 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. HSBC upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.04.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Gilead Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Bixlenvo, Gilead’s once-daily single-tablet HIV regimen combining bictegravir and lenacapavir. It is the first and only single-tablet option for virologically suppressed adults on complex treatment regimens who cannot use currently available alternatives. The approval could broaden Gilead’s HIV franchise and supports its strategy of using lenacapavir in long-term HIV treatment and prevention. Reuters FDA approval article
• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Trodelvy plus Keytruda for certain first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients. The label expansion strengthens Gilead’s oncology franchise and provides another potential source of revenue growth beyond its core HIV business. EU Trodelvy approval article
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investor commentary points to continued optimism around Gilead’s HIV prevention medicines, including the potential growth of its PrEP portfolio. Analysts and investors also view the stock as potentially undervalued relative to its fundamentals despite a strong five-year performance, which may support further interest. Gilead HIV catalyst article
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead will present at the Wells Fargo, Cantor and Morgan Stanley healthcare conferences in September. These events could provide updates on Bixlenvo, HIV prevention, Trodelvy and the broader pipeline, but they do not create an immediate change to financial results. Gilead investor conferences announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares worth approximately $2.68 million, reducing his holdings by about 58%. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which makes it a weaker bearish signal than a discretionary insider sale, but it may still modestly weigh on sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing

About Gilead Sciences

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.