Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $111.99 and last traded at $111.03, with a volume of 10491868 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $109.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GILD has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $70.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Mizuho increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.08.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $96.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.49. 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 capitalization of $139.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 302.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.18.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.96, for a total value of $781,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 132,373 shares in the company, valued at $12,173,021.08. This represents a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 542,001 shares of company stock worth $52,230,551. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 101.9% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.