Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Position Raised by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 241.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 77,080 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,526 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $8,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $215,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 16.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at $306,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 43.0% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GILD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.72.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.43, for a total value of $463,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 167,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,910,110.97. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 120,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. This represents a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 309,280 shares of company stock worth $43,935,470 over the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $144.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $138.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $178.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.37. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.37 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 46.68%.

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.