Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 81,694 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its Gilead Sciences stake by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 81,694 shares and leaving it with 1,069,634 shares valued at about $131.3 million.
• Several analysts remain constructive on Gilead, with firms including TD Cowen, JPMorgan, UBS, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo raising price targets; the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $157.04.
• Gilead reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.03 versus the $1.91 estimate and revenue of $6.96 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,069,634 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 81,694 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.09% of Gilead Sciences worth $131,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $561,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 711 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.04.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,513,524.91. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total value of $1,291,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,567 shares in the company, valued at $81,702,353.72. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,523,570 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.1%

GILD stock opened at $129.67 on Tuesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.84 and a 1-year high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The company has a market capitalization of $160.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.40.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

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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