Argent Trust Co Trims Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Argent Trust Co lessened its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,074 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 3,704 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $5,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.9% during the second quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 7,551 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 4,342 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 4,185 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 2.1% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 0.6% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 26,526 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,826,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $137,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,614,559.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Merdad Parsey sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $137,260.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,380 shares in the company, valued at $6,614,559.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 5,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.98, for a total transaction of $406,150.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,506,146.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,847 shares of company stock valued at $3,002,940 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $83.05 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.00. The company has a market cap of $103.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 230.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.07 and a 12 month high of $87.86.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.40. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 3.79%. The company had revenue of $6.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.64 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 855.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on GILD shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.06.

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.