Vest Financial LLC Acquires 6,019 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,491 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,019 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% during the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC grew its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $366,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 153,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,727,366. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Deborah H. Telman sold 53,646 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.85, for a total value of $6,590,411.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,365,596.60. The trade was a 55.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 141,757 shares of company stock worth $17,569,112 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 1.6%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $131.14 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $162.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.33. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.21 and a 52 week high of $133.10. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.46.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.86% and a net margin of 27.88%.The business had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. The company’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. Analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently 48.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GILD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Gilead Sciences from $151.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.52.

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.