Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 169,087 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Franklin Resources reduced its Gilead Sciences stake by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 169,087 shares and ending with 3.3 million shares valued at about $404.5 million.
• Insider selling continued, with CFO Andrew D. Dickinson and insider Johanna Mercier both selling shares in pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 transactions; insiders have sold 68,000 shares over the last three months.
• Gilead posted solid quarterly results, beating EPS estimates and slightly topping revenue expectations, while also declaring a $0.82 quarterly dividend that implies a 2.6% annual yield.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,295,546 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 169,087 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.27% of Gilead Sciences worth $404,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Consulate Inc. grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 85.8% during the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 54.8% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total value of $396,810.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,047,570. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $128.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.45 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.46 and a 12 month high of $157.29. The business's 50-day moving average price is $134.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.39.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday. Twenty-five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.93.

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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