Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 64.1% in Q2, holding 47,951 shares valued at approximately $5.3 million.
• Gilead Sciences' recent earnings report showed $2.01 EPS, surpassing estimates and marking a 1.4% year-over-year revenue increase of $7.08 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share, representing a 2.8% dividend yield with a payout ratio of approximately 62.95%.

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 64.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 47,951 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,722 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $5,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GILD. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,326,000 after buying an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $215,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 113.7% in the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 483 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 20.6% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 16,259 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,685,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charter Oak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the first quarter valued at $216,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of GILD opened at $113.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $140.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.63, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.34. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $84.17 and a 12 month high of $121.83. The stock's 50 day moving average is $114.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.05. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 50.99% and a net margin of 21.86%.The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.950-8.250 EPS. Analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.95%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.57, for a total transaction of $340,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 113,193 shares in the company, valued at $12,855,329.01. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.57, for a total transaction of $283,925.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 159,555 shares in the company, valued at $18,120,661.35. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 82,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,402,130 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on GILD. UBS Group increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $133.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $117.17.

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.

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