Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $158.4074.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GILD. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA accepted Gilead’s filing for once-weekly oral Yeztugo for HIV prevention, a key step that could expand the company’s long-acting PrEP franchise and create a new growth opportunity if approved. FDA Accepts Gilead’s Filing for Weekly Oral Yeztugo for HIV Prevention
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $155 price target, indicating analyst confidence in upside from current levels. Benzinga report on Cantor Fitzgerald rating
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead donated more than 2,000 vials of remdesivir to Uganda to support Ebola response efforts, which may help reinforce the company’s public-health profile, though the direct financial impact appears limited. Gilead Sciences Donates Remdesivir to Uganda
• Neutral Sentiment: Two senior insiders, including CFO Andrew D. Dickinson and executive Johanna Mercier, sold shares under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans. These sales are routine and not necessarily a bearish signal, but they can still pressure sentiment. SEC filing for Andrew D. Dickinson sale SEC filing for Johanna Mercier sale
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock had recently been under mild pressure and is still trading below key moving averages, so the latest move looks more like a reaction to the mixed news flow than a change in fundamentals. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $371,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 124,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,395,077.28. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $1,971,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,185,357.82. This represents a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,930,150 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,617,152,000. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth about $517,808,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,368,000 after purchasing an additional 4,113,999 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,121,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,837,948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $125.45 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences has a 1-year low of $104.46 and a 1-year high of $157.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09 and a beta of 0.31. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.30.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences will post -0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 44.69%.

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.