NatWest Group plc Raises Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• NatWest Group plc increased its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. by 63.5% in Q1, now owning 120,498 shares worth approximately $13.5 million, making Gilead its 9th largest holding.
• Insider transactions at Gilead include CFO Andrew D. Dickinson selling 2,500 shares and Director Jeffrey Bluestone selling 5,000 shares, both indicating a decrease in their positions.
• Gilead recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.79, with an annualized yield of 2.8%, set to be paid to shareholders on September 29th.

NatWest Group plc raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 63.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,498 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 46,796 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences makes up approximately 4.0% of NatWest Group plc's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. NatWest Group plc's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $13,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 284,243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $26,750,000 after acquiring an additional 14,009 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 863 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 430,424 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $48,229,000 after acquiring an additional 30,630 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at $1,699,000. Finally, ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 1st quarter valued at $11,688,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on GILD shares. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $128.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. UBS Group increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $133.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Truist Financial upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $115.39.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 2.0%

NASDAQ:GILD traded up $2.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $115.05. The stock had a trading volume of 6,953,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,228,918. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $113.59 and a 200 day moving average of $109.90. The company has a market capitalization of $142.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.36. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $78.26 and a one year high of $121.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.05. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 50.99% and a net margin of 21.86%.The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.950-8.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.95%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.94, for a total transaction of $1,139,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 605,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,016,306.50. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total value of $3,318,840.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 114,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,532,333.04. This represents a 19.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,000 shares of company stock worth $9,371,330. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Profile

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.