WealthTrust Axiom LLC Decreases Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

WealthTrust Axiom LLC reduced its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 12.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 44,574 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 6,258 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for approximately 1.5% of WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $4,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GILD. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 2,837.5% in the first 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. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Putney Financial Group LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 53.4% in the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 304.3% during the 1st quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 283 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $127.51 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.34. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $88.57 and a 1-year high of $128.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.20 billion, a PE ratio of 25.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 21.86% and a return on equity of 50.99%. The company 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 earned $2.02 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences’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. On average, research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $143.00 to $153.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Argus raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $130.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.39, for a total transaction of $1,193,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 581,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,389,826.17. The trade was a 1.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Deborah H. Telman sold 53,646 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.85, for a total value of $6,590,411.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,676 shares in the company, valued at $5,365,596.60. The trade was a 55.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 115,146 shares of company stock valued at $14,012,141. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.