Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Stock Position Lifted by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments increased its Gilead stake by 12.8% in the third quarter, adding 137,431 shares to reach 1.21 million shares, valued at about $180.4 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company.
• Gilead reported quarterly EPS of $2.55, beating the $2.19 consensus, while revenue of $8.30 billion exceeded estimates and rose 6.8% year over year.
• Results from the PURPOSE 5 trial found twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir had better persistence than daily oral HIV-prevention medicines, with no infections in the lenacapavir group. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a $171.07 average target price; drug-pricing pressure and valuation were cited as risks.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,208,162 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 137,431 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.10% of Gilead Sciences worth $180,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. PFS Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 101.1% during the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 85.5% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 217 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

These are some of the GILD news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Results from the PURPOSE 5 trial showed twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir had better persistence than daily oral HIV-prevention medicines, with no HIV infections reported in the lenacapavir group. The data could strengthen the commercial outlook for Gilead’s prevention portfolio. Article: Gilead Sciences Posts PURPOSE 5 Win As HIV Shot Beats Daily Pills
• Negative Sentiment: Drug-price negotiations in Washington are cited as a near-term risk for Gilead, as lower prices could pressure revenue. The article does not quantify the potential impact. Article: Lilly, Gilead Face Near-Term Drug Pricing Risks As Washington Turns Up Heat
• Negative Sentiment: Some valuation commentary argues Gilead may already be fully valued after substantial share-price gains, tempering enthusiasm despite recent trial results and raised guidance. Article: Gilead Sciences After Trial Wins And Raised Guidance Looks Fully Valued

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel O'Day sold 9,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.17, for a total value of $1,718,417.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 551,683 shares in the company, valued at $96,638,311.11. This represents a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.22, for a total transaction of $468,660.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 161,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,166,417.12. This represents a 1.83% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 242,709 shares of company stock valued at $39,503,427. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GILD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $177.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and set a $184.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.07.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD stock opened at $167.95 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.88 and a 1-year high of $176.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market cap of $208.31 billion, a PE ratio of -53.15 and a beta of 0.35. The business's 50-day moving average price is $154.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.66.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.36. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 1.85% and a negative net margin of 12.47%. The company had revenue of $8.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently -103.80%.

Gilead Sciences Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious diseases. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, the company focuses on antiviral therapies, including treatments and preventive medicines for HIV and medicines for viral hepatitis. Its products include Biktarvy for HIV and Epclusa for hepatitis C. Gilead also develops medicines in areas such as oncology and inflammatory diseases. Its portfolio includes Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral medicine used to treat COVID-19.

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