United Asset Strategies Inc. Sells 588 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

United Asset Strategies Inc. cut its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,790 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 588 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,269,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 14.3% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 619,002 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $42,470,000 after purchasing an additional 77,337 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 237.9% during the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 10,015 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 7,051 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,047 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth $254,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $93.07 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.07 and a 12 month high of $98.90. The company has a market capitalization of $115.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,034.11, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $91.74 and its 200 day moving average is $85.09.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.44. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 29.00% and a net margin of 0.45%. The firm had revenue of $7.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3,422.22%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 25,590 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.50, for a total transaction of $2,341,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 99,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,113,308.50. The trade was a 20.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 6,788 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.39, for a total value of $620,355.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $815,198.80. This trade represents a 43.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 456,234 shares of company stock valued at $42,130,461. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on GILD shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $74.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.96.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.