Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $120.00 to $140.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 21.19% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.56.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $115.52. 2,982,929 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,647,941. The company has a market capitalization of $143.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 312.24, a PEG 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. Gilead Sciences has a twelve month low of $62.07 and a twelve month high of $117.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $98.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.74.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total transaction of $13,822,739.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. This represents a 52.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 293,356 shares of company stock worth $29,166,240 over the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 260 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.