Morse Asset Management Inc Invests $1.22 Million in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Morse Asset Management initiated a new position in Gilead, buying 9,900 shares in Q4 valued at about $1.215 million.
• Analysts are largely bullish—24 Buy vs. 4 Hold—with several firms raising targets (Citigroup to $165, Jefferies to $180) and a consensus target of $157.35 ("Moderate Buy").
• Gilead raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (annualized $3.28, ~2.5% yield), while insiders have sold shares recently (including two 3,000‑share sales by executives) totaling 178,640 shares in the past 90 days under 10b5‑1 plans.

Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 9,900 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,215,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Consulate Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 85.8% in the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 54.8% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 176.0% in the third quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 276 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on GILD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Argus upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total transaction of $422,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 176,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,835,883.36. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total transaction of $422,880.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 128,779 shares in the company, valued at $18,152,687.84. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. 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 178,640 shares of company stock valued at $26,584,250 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of GILD stock opened at $132.69 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $140.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.40. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.29 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.90 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Gilead Sciences Company 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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