Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Shares Acquired by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC significantly increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences, boosting its shares by 18,865.3% in the first quarter, now owning 28,448 shares valued at $3,188,000.
• Several other institutional investors also raised their stakes in Gilead, with Brighton Jones LLC increasing its position by 20.6% and Modern Wealth Management LLC by 84.8% during the fourth quarter.
• Gilead Sciences recently reported an EPS of $1.81 for the quarter, surpassing estimates, despite a 0.3% decline in revenue compared to the previous year.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 18,865.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,448 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,298 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $3,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 158.8% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 352 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Core Alternative Capital raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 370.8% during the 1st quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 306 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on GILD shares. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $132.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $133.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.36.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.03, for a total transaction of $277,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 162,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,054,588.30. The trade was a 1.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.52, for a total transaction of $3,010,560.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 121,152 shares in the company, valued at $13,026,263.04. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 72,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,844,775. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ:GILD traded up $3.00 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $116.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,677,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,825,949. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $109.91 and a 200-day moving average of $106.00. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.43 and a 52-week high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.77 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.93% and a net margin of 20.76%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.32) EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

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.