Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Sets New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Gilead Sciences' stock price reached a new 52-week high of $122.32, with a significant trading volume of over 4.4 million shares.
• Several analysts have upgraded their ratings on Gilead Sciences, with price targets ranging from $127.00 to $135.00, indicating strong market confidence in the stock.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.79, translating to an annual yield of 2.6%, reflecting solid financial health with a net margin of 21.86% and a return on equity of 50.99%.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $122.32 and last traded at $122.50, with a volume of 4410049 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $133.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $108.00 to $127.00 in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.65.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $115.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.55, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is 62.95%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total transaction of $3,318,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 114,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,532,333.04. The trade was a 19.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 157,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,545,054.40. The trade was a 1.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 71,500 shares of company stock valued at $8,281,540 over the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2,837.5% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.