Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Upgraded by Daiwa America to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Key Points

• Daiwa America has upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating, reflecting increased confidence in the company's future performance.
• Gilead Sciences reported earnings of $2.01 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates and showing a 1.4% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Institutional investors hold a significant stake in Gilead, with 83.67% of the company's stock owned by them, showcasing strong interest from hedge funds and investment firms.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Daiwa America from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

GILD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Gilead Sciences from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $128.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Truist Financial raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $132.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.39.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 1.9%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $120.2060 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $149.15 billion, a PE ratio of 24.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.33. Gilead Sciences has a fifty-two week low of $74.80 and a fifty-two week high of $121.83. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.71. 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 (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.95 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 50.99% and a net margin of 21.86%.Gilead Sciences's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.950-8.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm'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 sale, the insider directly owned 114,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,532,333.04. This trade represents a 19.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.94, for a total value of $1,139,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 605,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,016,306.50. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $12,349,790 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 284,243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $26,750,000 after buying an additional 14,009 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 863 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,699,000. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,688,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 292,966 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $32,827,000 after buying an additional 13,194 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

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.

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