Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC Sells 9,029 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Stonebridge Capital Advisors trimmed its stake in Gilead by 6.5% in Q3, selling 9,029 shares and ending the quarter with 130,081 shares worth about $14.44 million.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently — Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares and CEO Daniel Patrick O'Day sold 115,640 shares (about $15.6 million), with insiders disposing of 309,280 shares (~$43.94 million) over the last quarter.
• Major institutions have been adding to positions (e.g., Norges Bank’s new ~$2.15 billion position, larger stakes from Ameriprise and Vanguard), analysts show a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $156.72, and Gilead raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (annual $3.28, ~2.2% yield).

Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 130,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 9,029 shares during the period. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $14,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,150,268,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 397.6% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,748,403 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $748,147,000 after purchasing an additional 5,392,191 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 33.5% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,499,098,000 after buying an additional 3,394,330 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 164.4% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,489,062 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $387,286,000 after buying an additional 2,169,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,364,226 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,233,912,000 after acquiring an additional 1,893,401 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total value of $617,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,101,620. This represents a 35.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 115,640 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $15,611,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,504,230. This trade represents a 16.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 309,280 shares of company stock valued at $43,935,470 over the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $103.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.72.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $148.22 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $137.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $184.00 billion, a PE ratio of 21.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.37. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.37 and a 52 week high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The company had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.90 EPS. The firm'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. Analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is 46.68%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GILD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.