Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 19,741 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its stake in Gilead by 19,741 shares in Q4 to 1,613,608 shares (about $198M), making Gilead its 26th-largest holding and roughly 0.4% of the bank's portfolio.
• Insiders have been net sellers, offloading 299,280 shares (~$42.9M) in the past 90 days including CEO Daniel O'Day and Johanna Mercier; company insiders now own about 0.30% of GILD.
• Dividend and analyst backdrop: Gilead raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 ($3.28 annual, 2.4% yield), and Wall Street maintains a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $157.35 while Gilead guides FY26 EPS to $8.45–$8.85.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,613,608 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,741 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences accounts for 0.4% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.13% of Gilead Sciences worth $198,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GILD. Csenge Advisory Group raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 319.0% during the third quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 21,394 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,375,000 after acquiring an additional 16,288 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 52.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $8,713,000 after purchasing an additional 26,882 shares in the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 249.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 7,168 shares during the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 1,415,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $157,139,000 after purchasing an additional 42,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,274,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total value of $422,880.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 128,779 shares in the company, valued at $18,152,687.84. This trade represents a 2.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.79, for a total value of $1,447,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 642,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $92,999,775.32. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 299,280 shares of company stock valued at $42,920,450. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $137.64 on Monday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.37 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The firm's 50 day moving average is $144.35 and its 200-day moving average is $131.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. Gilead Sciences's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.90 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is 48.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on GILD. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Leerink Partners increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.35.

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.

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