Fluent Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Fluent Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 29,156 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $2,693,000. Gilead Sciences comprises 1.2% of Fluent Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Redwood Financial Network Corp raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp now owns 2,530 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,580 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Bank grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 3,398 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 4,265 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,704 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on GILD shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Gilead Sciences from $132.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Nine 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.55.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.52, for a total transaction of $3,010,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 121,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,026,263.04. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 17,929 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total value of $2,118,669.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,977,938.37. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,929 shares of company stock valued at $5,644,780. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 2.5%

Gilead Sciences stock traded up $2.67 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $111.11. The stock had a trading volume of 5,596,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,722,822. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 300.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.26. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $105.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.50. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.07 and a 1-year high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.04. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($1.32) EPS. The business's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.