Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Given Buy Rating at UBS Group

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities researchers at UBS Group in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $145.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $112.00. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 19.48% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on GILD. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.00.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of GILD opened at $121.36 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences has a 12-month low of $88.57 and a 12-month high of $128.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $150.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.33.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.86% and a net margin of 27.88%.The firm had revenue of $7.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $366,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 106,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,958,962. This trade represents a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $366,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 153,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,727,366. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 136,257 shares of company stock worth $16,855,192. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GILD. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 33.5% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,499,098,000 after buying an additional 3,394,330 shares in the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,544,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 34.8% during the 2nd quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,163 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,016,000 after acquiring an additional 2,364 shares during the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.1% in the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 1,415,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $157,139,000 after acquiring an additional 42,200 shares during the period. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,274,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead’s product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.