Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 3,407 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 863,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 3,407 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $79,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 325.0% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $111.16 on Friday. 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 $138.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 300.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $105.08 and a 200-day moving average of $94.58.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 854.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GILD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $120.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.12.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,863,898.55. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 302,785 shares of company stock valued at $30,503,250. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.