ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 15.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,646,698 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 224,825 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.13% of Gilead Sciences worth $152,105,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,580 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Berkshire Bank raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 3,398 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 4,265 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,704 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GILD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $110.55.

Insider Activity

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.40, for a total transaction of $266,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 168,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,893,713.60. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 22,929 shares of company stock valued at $2,634,220 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD traded up $2.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $108.35. 4,035,976 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,667,162. The stock has a market cap of $134.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 292.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $105.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.95. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $119.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.50.

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

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.53%.

Gilead Sciences 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.