Ethic Inc. Boosts Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Ethic Inc. grew its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 104,644 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 7,638 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $9,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.55.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.09, for a total value of $260,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,597,559.49. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 160,605 shares of company stock valued at $16,718,136 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD traded down $1.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $96.86. 13,140,489 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,595,228. The company has a market cap of $120.61 billion, a PE ratio of 261.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.26. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $107.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.39. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $119.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. Gilead Sciences's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($1.32) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.53%.

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.