Short Interest in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) Grows By 15.7%

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 13,658,785 shares, an increase of 15.7% from the June 15th total of 11,804,652 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 13,707,757 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) opened at 72.72 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $95.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.69 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $68.08 and its 200-day moving average is $68.59. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $63.76 and a 52 week high of $88.85.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.02. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 43.42% and a return on equity of 76.64%. The company had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.66 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post $8.41 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.99%.

In related news, Director John Francis Cogan sold 9,943 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total value of $668,666.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 47,562 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,198,544.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John C. Martin sold 73,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $5,206,643.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,199,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $227,197,799. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 88,276 shares of company stock valued at $6,230,610. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Keel Point LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.4% in the first quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 3,111 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.7% in the second quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 4,666 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Bluestein R H & Co. boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Bluestein R H & Co. now owns 3,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.8% in the first quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abner Herrman & Brock LLC boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.5% in the first quarter. Abner Herrman & Brock LLC now owns 10,202 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $693,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 74.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Several research firms recently commented on GILD. Vetr raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $83.66 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, June 26th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, July 4th. Jefferies Group LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, July 4th. Finally, Cowen and Company reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, July 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.24.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The Company’s portfolio of products and pipeline of investigational drugs includes treatments for Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), liver diseases, cancer, inflammatory and respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions.