Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,745 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 2,073 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $2,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 118.5% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 284 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total value of $228,375.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,863,898.55. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ GILD opened at $111.28 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.07 and a 12-month high of $119.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.40. 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 stock has a market cap of $138.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 300.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21.

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

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 854.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GILD. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.12.

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.