J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Trims Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 6.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 730,530 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 48,525 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for approximately 1.4% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $80,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 2,837.5% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Colonial Trust Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 304.3% during the first quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 283 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Core Alternative Capital increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 370.8% in the 1st quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 306 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $111.15 on Thursday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.10 and a 52 week high of $121.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $114.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.34.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.05. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 21.86% and a return on equity of 50.99%. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.950-8.250 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 62.95%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.57, for a total transaction of $340,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 113,193 shares in the company, valued at $12,855,329.01. The trade was a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.57, for a total transaction of $283,925.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 159,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,120,661.35. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 82,000 shares of company stock worth $9,402,130 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GILD. Dbs Bank raised Gilead Sciences to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $108.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $136.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.17.

Gilead Sciences Company 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.