Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Stock Sold by New England Research & Management Inc.

Key Points

• New England Research & Management cut its Gilead Sciences stake by 31.2% in the third quarter, selling 6,575 shares and retaining 14,495 shares valued at approximately $2.16 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 83.67% of Gilead.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive but mixed: Gilead has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 29 analysts, with an average price target of $159.33, despite several recent rating and price-target downgrades.
• Gilead shares recently traded near their 52-week high at about $156, while the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.82, equivalent to an annualized $3.28 and a 2.1% yield.

New England Research & Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 31.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,495 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 6,575 shares during the quarter. New England Research & Management Inc.'s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $100,056,000. Groupe la Francaise boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 30.9% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 49,627 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $6,270,000 after acquiring an additional 11,712 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,754,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 292,295 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $36,929,000 after acquiring an additional 10,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,251,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GILD shares. Zacks Research lowered Gilead Sciences from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Barclays lowered their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Leerink Partners lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $159.33.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Vir oncology collaboration expands Gilead’s pipeline. Gilead and Vir Biotechnology agreed to develop three novel cancer therapies, including next-generation T-cell engagers. The deal could provide Vir with up to approximately $1.74 billion in additional milestone payments, giving Gilead access to potential long-term oncology growth while diversifying its pipeline. Gilead and Vir forge $1.9bn pact to develop next-gen T-cell engagers
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are rotating toward defensive healthcare stocks. As investors reduce exposure to technology and chip stocks, major pharmaceutical companies—including Gilead—have traded near record highs. This rotation may be supporting demand for GILD because of the sector’s defensive characteristics and potential earnings support. Big pharma stocks near all-time highs as tech selloff pushes investors toward safer bets
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent momentum has increased investor attention. GILD gained 2.57% in the prior session and closed at $157.48, while shares remain close to their 52-week high. Market commentary notes heightened investor interest, although analysts have expressed mixed views on the company’s prospects. Gilead Sciences rises higher than market: Key facts
• Negative Sentiment: Two senior executives reported planned stock sales. CFO Andrew Dickinson and insider Johanna Mercier each sold 3,000 shares at an average price of $156.22. Both transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, limiting their significance as a bearish signal; each executive continues to hold a substantial position. Gilead CFO Form 4 filing

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $156.19. 7,770,853 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,976,056. The business's 50-day moving average price is $147.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.02 and a twelve month high of $160.51. The company has a market capitalization of $193.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.50 and a beta of 0.31.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%. The business's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is currently -122.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.22, for a total transaction of $468,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 161,096 shares in the company, valued at $25,166,417.12. The trade was a 1.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 111,000 shares of company stock valued at $15,877,860 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc NASDAQ: GILD is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. Its research and commercial activities focus primarily on virology, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as oncology, inflammation and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

Gilead's portfolio includes HIV treatments such as Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Sunlenca; hepatitis therapies including Epclusa, Harvoni and Vemlidy; and Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral used to treat COVID-19 in certain patients.

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