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

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $158.0370.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GILD. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.31, for a total transaction of $1,954,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 592,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,160,851.23. The trade was a 2.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total transaction of $396,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 82,000 shares of company stock worth $10,641,790. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GILD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,240,518 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,393,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151,213 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,698,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,399,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,269 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,046,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,617,152,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $130.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $162.47 billion, a PE ratio of -49.01 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $108.46 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $129.43 and its 200-day moving average is $136.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post -0.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported second-quarter revenue of $7.8 billion, above the roughly $7.4 billion consensus estimate. Product sales excluding Veklury rose 10% year over year to $7.6 billion, led by HIV medicines and Trodelvy. GILD Q2 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its HIV growth outlook to 9%–10% and highlighted rapid adoption of Yeztugo, its HIV prevention treatment. PrEP sales reportedly doubled to approximately $1 billion, supporting the view that HIV remains Gilead’s primary growth engine. Q2 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an Overweight rating with a $155 target, while Needham reaffirmed Buy with a $170 target. Gilead also declared its $0.82 quarterly dividend, providing continued income support.
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarter was described as operationally strong, but reported earnings guidance remains negative because of acquisition-related charges and elevated research spending. The company’s 2026 base-business sales outlook is approximately $29.8 billion–$30.1 billion.
• Negative Sentiment: Gilead posted a $6.75 per-share quarterly loss versus $2.01 of earnings a year earlier. The loss was driven largely by acquisition-related costs, increasing concern about near-term profitability despite the revenue beat. Strong Quarter Hidden Behind Ugly Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: MSD and Gilead discontinued a Phase III Trodelvy-Keytruda study after lacklustre interim data. The failure weakens expectations for expanding Trodelvy’s use in combination therapy and adds uncertainty to Gilead’s oncology growth strategy. Trodelvy-Keytruda Study Discontinued
• Negative Sentiment: Veklury sales continued to decline sharply, while AIDS Healthcare Foundation criticized Gilead’s HIV pricing and access policies. The controversy could create reputational or longer-term market-access risks. CEO Daniel O’Day’s planned sale of 15,000 shares was a minor additional negative signal.

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.