Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Coverage Initiated at UBS Group

UBS Group started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $145.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 20.16% from the company’s previous close.

GILD has been the topic of several other reports. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $133.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $143.00 to $153.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.20.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 3.0%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $120.67 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $88.57 and a 52 week high of $128.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $123.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.33.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 27.88% and a return on equity of 51.86%. The company had revenue of $7.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $366,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 153,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,727,366. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.86, for a total value of $3,524,080.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 107,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,491,310.98. This represents a 20.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 136,257 shares of company stock worth $16,855,192 in the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GILD. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% during the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 53.4% in the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

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.