Verity & Verity LLC Purchases 2,250 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Verity & Verity LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 367,331 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences comprises approximately 3.0% of Verity & Verity LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $30,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GILD. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 23.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 121,072 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 23,213 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 32.8% in the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 18,044 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,322,000 after buying an additional 4,461 shares during the last quarter. Natixis boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 40.5% during the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 152,226 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $11,151,000 after acquiring an additional 43,916 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 1st quarter worth $250,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the first quarter valued at about $141,000. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ GILD opened at $88.46 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $86.87 and its 200 day moving average is $76.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.25 billion, a PE ratio of 982.89, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $98.90.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.44. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 0.45% and a return on equity of 29.00%. The firm had revenue of $7.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 3,422.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on GILD shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $83.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 25,590 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.50, for a total transaction of $2,341,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 99,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,113,308.50. This trade represents a 20.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 29,357 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.78, for a total value of $2,459,529.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 78,127 shares in the company, valued at $6,545,480.06. This trade represents a 27.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 56,947 shares of company stock worth $4,968,674. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences 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.