Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Stock Position Boosted by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 78,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,045 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $11,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth about $15,393,785,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 61,216,552 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,734,099,000 after buying an additional 1,357,967 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,584,341 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,912,822,000 after buying an additional 444,660 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 10.7% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 10,539,111 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,468,836,000 after buying an additional 1,018,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,316,606,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.29, for a total value of $435,870.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 164,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,841,507.84. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 105,000 shares of company stock valued at $14,940,540 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

Here are the key news stories impacting Gilead Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish on Gilead, highlighting the company among attractive healthcare stocks. The positive view reflects Gilead’s HIV, liver-disease and oncology franchises, as well as its longer-term growth prospects. Analysts Are Bullish on These Healthcare Stocks: BioNTech SE (BNTX), Gilead Sciences (GILD)
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said survey results support a favorable long-term outlook for Yeztugo, Gilead’s HIV-prevention drug. Strong adoption potential could provide an additional growth driver for the company’s HIV portfolio. Gilead Sciences’ Yeztugo Survey Supports Long-Term Growth Outlook, BofA Says
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly raised its FY2027 EPS forecast for Gilead to $9.90 from $9.88, signaling confidence in the company’s future profitability. Erste Group Bank Raises Gilead Sciences EPS Estimate
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons with GRAIL and Vertex Pharmaceuticals provide valuation and operating-context analysis but do not identify a specific new catalyst for GILD. Contrasting GRAIL and Gilead Sciences Gilead Sciences versus Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Negative Sentiment: Gilead’s upcoming third-quarter earnings report is expected to show a double-digit year-over-year EPS decline. That forecast is weighing on sentiment despite optimism about the company’s longer-term pipeline and product growth. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Gilead Sciences’ Report

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD opened at $147.92 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.40 and a beta of 0.31. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $114.02 and a 52-week high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS 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 firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.47 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is -122.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.33.

Gilead Sciences Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. Its research and commercial activities focus primarily on virology, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as oncology, inflammation and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

Gilead’s portfolio includes HIV treatments such as Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Sunlenca; hepatitis therapies including Epclusa, Harvoni and Vemlidy; and Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral used to treat COVID-19 in certain patients.