Aviva PLC Sells 159,954 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Aviva PLC decreased its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 13.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,040,805 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 159,954 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $115,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 117,470,825 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $13,162,606,000 after purchasing an additional 1,942,433 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 314.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,703,103 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,647,484,000 after buying an additional 11,156,382 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 12.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 13,755,481 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,541,302,000 after buying an additional 1,520,809 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the first quarter worth about $620,415,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,956,933 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $436,648,000 after acquiring an additional 1,126,886 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total value of $354,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 110,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,011,589.44. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.08, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 157,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,545,054.40. This represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 71,500 shares of company stock worth $8,336,040. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 3.7%

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $118.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $147.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.32. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.08 and a fifty-two week high of $124.61. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.17.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 21.86% and a return on equity of 50.99%. The firm had revenue of $7.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s 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 predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 48.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GILD. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.82.

About Gilead Sciences

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.