Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Shares Sold by Knuff & Co LLC

Knuff & Co LLC reduced its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 12,562 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 714 shares during the quarter. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $1,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 325.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total transaction of $228,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at $11,863,898.55. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 293,356 shares of company stock worth $29,166,240 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GILD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Eleven equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.52.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD stock opened at $114.43 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $119.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.50 billion, a PE ratio of 309.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $100.56 and its 200-day moving average is $92.18.

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

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 854.05%.

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.