UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Acquires 137,308 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 33.4%, acquiring an additional 137,308 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total to 547,967 shares worth $61.4 million.
• A number of hedge funds also increased their investments in Gilead, with notable increases including a 63.5% lift from NatWest Group plc and a 9.6% increase from Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV.
• Analysts are optimistic about Gilead, with several firms raising their ratings, including Daiwa Capital Markets, which upgraded it from "neutral" to "outperform" with a target price of $128.00.

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 33.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 547,967 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 137,308 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $61,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 117,470,825 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,162,606,000 after purchasing an additional 1,942,433 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 314.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,703,103 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,647,484,000 after buying an additional 11,156,382 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,234,672 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,130,117,000 after buying an additional 1,605,730 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 30.1% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,678,751 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $801,655,000 after buying an additional 2,005,863 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the first quarter worth $620,415,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total value of $296,325.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 160,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,977,838.30. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total value of $1,136,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 595,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,692,231.75. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 82,000 shares of company stock worth $9,371,330 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ GILD traded down $1.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $116.36. The company had a trading volume of 1,920,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,083,461. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.36. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.57 and a 1-year high of $121.83. The firm's 50 day moving average is $113.97 and its 200-day moving average is $110.07.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.95 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 50.99% and a net margin of 21.86%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.950-8.250 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on GILD. Truist Financial raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Daiwa America upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Gilead Sciences from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $128.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Needham & Company LLC raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $133.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $115.39.

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.