Gilead Sciences Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:GILD)

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 34,453 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 137% compared to the average daily volume of 14,531 call options.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $114.14. The stock had a trading volume of 3,956,783 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,155,182. The firm has a market cap of $142.14 billion, a PE ratio of 308.52, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $100.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.33. Gilead Sciences has a twelve month low of $62.07 and a twelve month high of $119.96.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently 854.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.35, for a total transaction of $228,375.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 129,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,863,898.55. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 311,285 shares of company stock worth $31,284,910 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $554,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 37.7% in the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 4,862 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 1,332 shares during the period. Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $245,000. Fluent Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,693,000. Finally, BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $357,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.52.

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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.

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