Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Jeffrey Bluestone Sells 5,000 Shares

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total value of $725,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD stock traded up $2.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $146.12. 5,384,252 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,740,629. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -54.73 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $108.46 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The business had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GILD. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $15,393,785,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,617,152,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,316,606,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $918,387,000. Finally, Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $517,808,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, HSBC raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.04.

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.