Westend Capital Management LLC Has $12.81 Million Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)

Westend Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 71.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,642 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 57,632 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences comprises about 3.8% of Westend Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Westend Capital Management LLC's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $12,806,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 101.9% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 51.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on GILD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $109.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.96.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.2 %

GILD traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $91.84. 6,852,085 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,370,915. The stock's 50-day moving average is $91.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.08. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $62.07 and a 1-year high of $98.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $114.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,020.44, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.18.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $7.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.01 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 29.00% and a net margin of 0.45%. Gilead Sciences's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently 3,422.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 6,788 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.39, for a total value of $620,355.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $815,198.80. This represents a 43.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Merdad Parsey sold 25,590 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.50, for a total transaction of $2,341,485.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 99,599 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,113,308.50. This trade represents a 20.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 456,234 shares of company stock valued at $42,130,461. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.