Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Reaches New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $155.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Gilead Sciences traded as high as $138.03 and last traded at $137.78, with a volume of 10011170 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $135.93.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on GILD. HSBC raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.52.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total transaction of $372,930.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 150,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,709,027.93. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $617,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,101,620. This trade represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 247,397 shares of company stock valued at $31,986,612. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GILD. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% during the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Consulate Inc. grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 85.8% during the fourth quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 53.4% during the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $124.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.