Aviva PLC Sells 54,085 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Aviva PLC lessened its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,094,547 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 54,085 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.09% of Gilead Sciences worth $101,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 35,659,007 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,293,822,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058,331 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,289,917 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,608,337,000 after buying an additional 749,047 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth about $1,789,254,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,002,779 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $739,217,000 after acquiring an additional 249,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 7,047,846 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $651,010,000 after acquiring an additional 50,434 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

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Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ:GILD traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $102.65. 6,266,419 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,402,104. The company's 50 day moving average is $107.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.31. The company has a market capitalization of $127.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 277.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $62.07 and a twelve month high of $119.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is 854.05%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 142,180 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.22, for a total value of $13,822,739.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 129,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,626,253.06. This represents a 52.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 302,785 shares of company stock worth $30,503,250. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GILD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $80.00 to $120.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.