Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Buys 29,394 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 28.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 131,295 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,394 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $16,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,617,152,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 12.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,139,681 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,680,505,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,453 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,317,613 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,266,384,000 after acquiring an additional 107,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.9% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,148,405 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $793,506,000 after acquiring an additional 400,002 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares in the company, valued at $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $1,971,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,185,357.82. The trade was a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $9,047,570 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $125.50 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $155.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s fifty day moving average is $134.03 and its 200 day moving average is $134.37. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.46 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. Research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Merck reported positive Phase 3 results for their once-weekly oral HIV regimen, islatravir/lenacapavir, meeting the primary efficacy endpoint in both ISLEND trials. This is important because it supports Gilead’s HIV franchise, which is a major driver of the company’s business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage highlighted that the successful once-weekly HIV tablet could strengthen Gilead’s core growth outlook, since a more convenient regimen may help expand or defend market share in HIV treatment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead and Merck also discontinued a Phase 3 lung cancer study of Trodelvy plus Keytruda after it failed to show a statistically significant progression-free survival benefit. The trial stop is disappointing, but it mainly affects Gilead’s oncology ambitions rather than its larger HIV business. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC noted a potential longer-term competitive threat from in vivo CAR-T technology, but this looks more like an early-stage strategic risk than a near-term catalyst for the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: At least one report characterized the news as mixed because the HIV win was partially offset by the Trodelvy setback, which may temper investor enthusiasm for Gilead’s broader pipeline. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America set a $162.00 target price on Gilead Sciences and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.93.

Gilead Sciences 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.