Haverford Trust Co Reduces Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Haverford Trust Co reduced its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 49.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,862 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 5,753 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GILD. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 8.9% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,923 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after buying an additional 1,628 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 79.2% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 7,835 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 3,464 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 23,730 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,990,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 79.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 33,162,319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,780,329,000 after purchasing an additional 14,680,161 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 $107.89 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $119.96. The firm has a market cap of $134.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 291.59, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $104.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.50.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released 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 return on equity of 31.63% and a net margin of 1.67%. Research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total value of $228,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at $11,863,898.55. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.52.

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.