West Branch Capital LLC Sells 2,184 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

West Branch Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,968 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 2,184 shares during the quarter. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GILD. XML Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $203,000. Genesis Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $362,000. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 6,120 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 6,779 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $626,000 after buying an additional 2,111 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 376,047 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,735,000 after buying an additional 53,617 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on GILD shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $70.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $84.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Maxim Group lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.96.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 25,590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.50, for a total value of $2,341,485.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 99,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,113,308.50. This represents a 20.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 6,788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.39, for a total transaction of $620,355.32. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $815,198.80. This trade represents a 43.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 456,234 shares of company stock worth $42,130,461. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $92.96 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.38. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $62.07 and a one year high of $98.90. The stock has a market cap of $115.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,032.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.18. 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 (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $7.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.01 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 0.45% and a return on equity of 29.00%. Gilead Sciences’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently 3,422.22%.

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.