Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Down 3% – Should You Sell?

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) shares fell 3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $107.04 and last traded at $106.93. 1,893,791 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 6,677,408 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on GILD. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.52.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $133.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 289.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $102.63 and a 200 day moving average of $93.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. On average, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 854.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total transaction of $13,822,739.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. This represents a 52.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% 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.