AXQ Capital LP Makes New Investment in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• AXQ Capital LP acquired 27,106 Gilead Sciences shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $3.43 million. Institutional investors collectively own 83.67% of Gilead’s outstanding stock.
• Gilead reported quarterly revenue of $7.80 billion, above the $7.40 billion consensus estimate, with revenue up 10.6% year over year. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $158.04.
• Investor sentiment was supported by higher earnings forecasts, a completed partner-backed stomach-cancer trial, and a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share—although several insiders recently sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,106 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $3,425,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GILD. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $15,393,785,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,240,518 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,393,921,000 after buying an additional 1,151,213 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,698,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,399,734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,269 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,046,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,617,152,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised Gilead’s earnings forecasts and upgraded the stock to “Strong Buy.” Zacks increased its 2027 quarterly EPS estimates and lifted its full-year forecast to $9.36 from $9.30. It also raised its FY2028 estimate to $9.66 from $9.58, suggesting expectations for improving profitability. Zacks upgrade and earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead’s latest results provided a favorable foundation for the rally. The company reported quarterly revenue of $7.80 billion, above the $7.40 billion consensus estimate, while its loss per share was narrower than expected. Revenue increased 10.6% year over year, giving investors confidence in the business despite currently negative reported earnings. Gilead post-earnings performance
• Positive Sentiment: A partner-backed stomach-cancer trial reached completion, creating a potential immuno-oncology catalyst. The milestone involving Arcus-supported research could provide important future data for Gilead’s oncology strategy, although the eventual investment impact depends on trial results and regulatory progress. Gilead cancer trial milestone
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares worth approximately $2.23 million. The sale reduced his ownership by 2.53%, but it was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, making it a limited bearish signal. SEC insider trading filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on GILD. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. HSBC upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Gilead Sciences from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 1.1%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $151.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.64 and a beta of 0.33. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.46 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The stock's fifty day moving average is $136.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.42.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 analysts' expectations of $7.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The company's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total transaction of $3,853,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 118,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,273,727.76. This represents a 19.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel O'Day sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.31, for a total transaction of $1,954,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 592,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $77,160,851.23. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 105,000 shares of company stock valued at $14,495,820 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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