Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Invests $7.99 Million in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Ascent Wealth Partners disclosed a new first-quarter position in Gilead Sciences, buying 57,344 shares worth about $7.99 million.
• Gilead reported Q1 earnings of $2.03 per share, topping estimates, while revenue came in at $6.96 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share and currently offers an annualized yield of about 2.4%; analysts overall rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average target price of $159.04.

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 57,344 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $7,992,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GILD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $2,617,152,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $517,808,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $518,368,000 after buying an additional 4,113,999 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,121,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,837,948,000 after buying an additional 3,046,688 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $14,863,487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,113,692 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 171,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,524,408.40. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 77,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,978,740 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $134.28 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $129.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $166.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.75 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Gilead Sciences from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Maxim Group upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Gilead Sciences from $168.00 to $166.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Twenty-six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $159.04.

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.

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