Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Position Lifted by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 201,175 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,223 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $18,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $115.44 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.87 billion, a PE ratio of 312.00, 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 fifty day moving average price is $98.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.91. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $62.07 and a 52-week high of $117.39.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total value of $228,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,863,898.55. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 293,356 shares of company stock valued at $29,166,240 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on GILD shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.24.

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.