Leuthold Group LLC Boosts Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Leuthold Group LLC increased its Gilead Sciences stake by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 12,422 shares to reach 55,058 shares valued at about $6.76 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with 24 analysts rating GILD a Buy, 4 a Hold, and a consensus price target of $157.04; several firms recently raised targets as well.
• Gilead posted solid quarterly results and a dividend, beating EPS and revenue estimates for the latest quarter, while announcing a $0.82 quarterly dividend that implies a 2.5% yield.

Leuthold Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,058 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 12,422 shares during the period. Leuthold Group LLC's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $6,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. L & S Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $5,090,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,777 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the period. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 24,931 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,060,000 after buying an additional 1,215 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 235,385 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $28,891,000 after buying an additional 13,495 shares during the period. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 108.0% during the fourth quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 2,374 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GILD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Gilead Sciences from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.04.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $129.58 on Friday. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $137.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.22. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.23 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The company has a market cap of $160.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.65 and a beta of 0.31.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.82 dividend. 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 presently 44.69%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.43, for a total value of $463,290.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 167,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,910,110.97. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total value of $1,291,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,702,353.72. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,238,250 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Profile

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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