Truist Financial Issues Positive Forecast for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its target price boosted by Truist Financial from $158.00 to $181.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on GILD. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $165.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. 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.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.19.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.1%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $170.68 on Friday. Gilead Sciences has a 12-month low of $114.02 and a 12-month high of $175.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $150.87 and a 200 day moving average of $139.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $8.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.81 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 1.70%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post -0.48 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. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is -122.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.90, for a total value of $2,218,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 566,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,812,415.70. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 111,000 shares of company stock valued at $15,877,860 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 876 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 1,705 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 22,751 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,391,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 330,225 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $49,956,000 after buying an additional 31,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 412.3% during the third quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,000,000 after acquiring an additional 10,799 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations. Gilead reported adjusted earnings of $2.55 per share versus the $2.19 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.8% year over year to $8.30 billion, beating expectations by roughly $500 million. Gilead Sciences Q3 earnings and revenues top estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 product-sales outlook to approximately $31.0 billion-$31.3 billion, up from $30.1 billion-$30.4 billion, following strong demand for HIV treatments. Base-business sales excluding Veklury reportedly increased 16%, the company’s strongest growth in more than a decade. Gilead Sciences lifts sales guidance on HIV portfolio strength
• Positive Sentiment: Key growth products performed well. Biktarvy continued to drive HIV sales, while Trodelvy revenue rose 41.7% year over year to $506 million. Livdelzi also contributed to growth, aided by a pan-Canadian public reimbursement agreement that could broaden patient access. GILD beats Q3 earnings on HIV strength and Trodelvy sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved materially. Citigroup, Scotiabank, Morgan Stanley, Truist, Wells Fargo, Needham and Cantor Fitzgerald all raised their price targets, with several maintaining buy or overweight-equivalent ratings. Targets generally range from $175 to $200. Analysts increase forecasts after upbeat Q3 results
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.28 payout and a stated yield of about 1.9%.
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term pricing and concentration risks remain. Medicare pricing is expected to reduce Biktarvy’s price by approximately 38% beginning in 2028, potentially cutting annual revenue by about $1.5 billion. Analysts also note that oncology and immunology growth remains less developed, while some coverage characterizes the valuation as demanding after the rally. Gilead hikes 2026 sales outlook and discusses Biktarvy pricing

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. The company is best known for its HIV treatments, including Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Truvada, as well as therapies for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Its portfolio also includes Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

Gilead has expanded into oncology and cell therapy through products such as Trodelvy and the CAR T-cell therapies Yescarta and Tecartus, which are developed and marketed through its Kite subsidiary.