Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Increases Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 93.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,129 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,810 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $1,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GILD. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the third quarter worth $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. MTM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 176.0% in the 3rd quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 276 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $15,611,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,504,230. The trade was a 16.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total transaction of $4,324,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 309,280 shares of company stock worth $44,068,850. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GILD shares. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $157.62.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $137.21 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.37 and a 12 month high of $157.29. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

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.