Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Buys 4,617 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 114,329 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 4,617 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for 0.8% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $17,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Philadelphia Trust Co. increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Philadelphia Trust Co. now owns 4,347 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 545 shares during the period. Moneco Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 3,913 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,559 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 159,191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $23,728,000 after purchasing an additional 5,366 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 130,028 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $19,381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,329 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of GILD opened at $170.87 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.88 and a 1-year high of $176.58. The company has a market capitalization of $211.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.07 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.34.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.36. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $8.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -103.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $126.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Needham & Company LLC set a $175.00 target price on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.15.

Key Gilead Sciences News

Here are the key news stories impacting Gilead Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights improving growth across Gilead’s business and strong recent results. Its latest reported quarter beat consensus on both earnings and revenue, with revenue up 6.8% year over year. This supports the positive investment case behind the stock’s advance toward a 52-week high. Article: Gilead Sciences Stock Hits a New All-Time High: Is it Still a Good Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have recently raised price targets, including JPMorgan and Wells Fargo to $190, and maintained positive ratings—potential support for investor sentiment. Gilead Sciences analyst and stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead partner Xilio Therapeutics said it expects to deliver an option data package for its investigational cancer drug efarindodekin alfa to Gilead in the first half of 2027. Any value to Gilead depends on future data and potential payments; the update does not establish a near-term financial benefit. Xilio Therapeutics pipeline update
• Negative Sentiment: An executive vice president sold 3,399 shares, reducing his holdings by about 39%. The sale was made under a pre-arranged trading plan, which may limit its significance as a signal about the company’s outlook. Gilead Sciences insider-trading report
• Negative Sentiment: Vir, a competitor in hepatitis D, reported positive results for its experimental treatment. The news could raise competitive concerns, though the supplied report does not indicate an immediate impact on Gilead’s business. Vir rival advances hepatitis D treatment

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, EVP Keeley Cain Wettan sold 3,399 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.11, for a total transaction of $557,809.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $879,629.60. The trade was a 38.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel O’Day sold 9,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.17, for a total transaction of $1,718,417.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 551,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $96,638,311.11. This trade represents a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 242,709 shares of company stock valued at $39,503,427. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious diseases. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, the company focuses on antiviral therapies, including treatments and preventive medicines for HIV and medicines for viral hepatitis. Its products include Biktarvy for HIV and Epclusa for hepatitis C. Gilead also develops medicines in areas such as oncology and inflammatory diseases. Its portfolio includes Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral medicine used to treat COVID-19.