Foster & Motley Inc. Takes Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Foster & Motley Inc. bought a new position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,977 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,513,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Aviva PLC lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 1,156,738 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $141,978,000 after purchasing an additional 59,782 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $1,418,000. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 150.3% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 17,147 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 10,296 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 66.5% in the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 105,740 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $12,978,000 after buying an additional 42,243 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 106,526 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $13,075,000 after buying an additional 13,385 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital reaffirmed its Buy rating on Gilead, supporting the bullish view that the company’s recent momentum can continue. BMO Capital reaffirms Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised estimates for third-quarter 2026 EPS to $1.93 from $1.84, fourth-quarter 2026 EPS to $2.14 from $2.07, and full-year 2027 EPS to $9.30 from $9.11. It also lifted estimates for parts of 2027, indicating improving expectations for near-term earnings. Gilead Sciences analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Gilead’s expanding HIV portfolio. Biktarvy continues to anchor sales, while Yeztugo and additional pipeline programs could create new treatment and prevention opportunities. The company’s latest reported revenue also increased 10.6% year over year to $7.8 billion, exceeding expectations. Gilead’s expanding HIV portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead’s quarterly dividend of $0.82, equivalent to $3.28 annually, provides ongoing income support and reinforces its appeal to defensive and healthcare-focused investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks reduced estimates for first-quarter 2028 EPS to $2.14 from $2.21, second-quarter 2028 EPS to $2.27 from $2.33, and full-year 2028 EPS to $9.58 from $10.00. These cuts temper the otherwise positive near-term revisions and suggest some uncertainty about longer-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Commercial Officer Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares, while CFO Andrew Dickinson sold 3,000 shares. Both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, limiting their significance, but the sales may modestly weigh on sentiment.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total value of $3,853,920.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 118,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,273,727.76. The trade was a 19.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.36, for a total value of $415,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 165,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,918,780.56. The trade was a 1.78% 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 three months, insiders have sold 82,000 shares of company stock worth $10,837,860. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GILD shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays decreased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD opened at $147.60 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -55.28 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.21 and a 200 day moving average of $136.51. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.46 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is -122.85%.

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.