Western Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Western Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 44.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,711 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 3,761 shares during the quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. XML Financial LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Advisory Alpha LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $260,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 149.1% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,697 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $803,000 after acquiring an additional 5,205 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,551 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 3,129 shares during the period. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 8,733 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 3,213 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD traded down $0.65 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $108.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,588,570 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,714,353. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $134.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 293.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $105.33 and a 200-day moving average of $100.52. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.07 and a 12 month high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.04. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. The business had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.32) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is 66.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on GILD shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $132.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $110.55.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 17,929 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.17, for a total transaction of $2,118,669.93. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 169,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,977,938.37. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.52, for a total transaction of $3,010,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 121,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,026,263.04. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,929 shares of company stock valued at $5,644,780 over the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.