Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Grows Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 56.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,861 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,572 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $907,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 79.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 33,162,319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,780,329,000 after buying an additional 14,680,161 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 50.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,600,676 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,900,921,000 after purchasing an additional 11,665,593 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 723.3% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,434,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $594,370,000 after buying an additional 5,653,075 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 350.1% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,305,270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $193,274,000 after buying an additional 1,793,145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $87,163,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.09, for a total value of $260,225.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 169,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,597,559.49. This represents a 1.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 293,356 shares of company stock valued at $29,166,240. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD opened at $115.99 on Tuesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.07 and a 52-week high of $117.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $144.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 313.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $97.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.45.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors 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 represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 854.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on GILD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.08.

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.