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

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 130,626 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,013% compared to the average daily volume of 11,737 call options.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $145.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $180.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Gilead Sciences has a 12 month low of $93.37 and a 12 month high of $157.29. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $140.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.57.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The company had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.68%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $617,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,620. The trade was a 35.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total transaction of $4,324,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 309,280 shares of company stock valued at $43,935,470 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $948,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $812,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.62.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.