Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD): Today's Featured Drugs Winner

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

Gilead (GILD) pushed the Drugs industry higher today making it today's featured drugs winner. The industry as a whole closed the day up 0.3%. By the end of trading, Gilead rose 54 cents (1.3%) to $40.90 on average volume. Throughout the day, 8.9 million shares of Gilead exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 11.5 million shares. The stock ranged in a price between $40.15-$41.27 after having opened the day at $40.32 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $40.36. Other companies within the Drugs industry that increased today were: Prima Biomed (PBMD), up 22%, Oncolytics Biotech (ONCY), up 21.9%, Galectin Therapeutics (GALT), up 12%, and Celsion Corporation (CLSN), up 11.2%.

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Gilead Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes human therapeutics for the treatment of life threatening diseases worldwide. Gilead has a market cap of $60.48 billion and is part of the health care sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 20.5, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 8.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are 19 analysts that rate Gilead a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and three rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Gilead as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance, reasonable valuation levels, expanding profit margins and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

• You can view the full Gilead Ratings Report.

On the negative front, Oxygen Biotherapeutics (OXBT), down 11.5%, Opexa Therapeutics (OPXA), down 10.5%, OxiGene (OXGN), down 8.1%, and Medgenics (MDGN), down 8.1%, were all laggards within the drugs industry with Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX) being today's drugs industry laggard.

• Use our drugs section to find industry-relevant news.
• Or find some new ideas from our top rated stocks lists.

For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the drugs industry could consider SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF (XPH) while those bearish on the drugs industry could consider ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotech (BIS).

• Find other investment ideas from our top rated ETFs lists.

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