Marshall Wace LLP Has $112.40 Million Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,216,798 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 193,133 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.10% of Gilead Sciences worth $112,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the 4th 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 last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 325.0% in 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 in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $104.88 on Thursday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $108.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.16. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $62.07 and a fifty-two week high of $119.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 283.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.32.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%. As a group, analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 854.05%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total value of $13,822,739.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. The trade was a 52.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,540,875 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on GILD. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.12.

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.