Royal Bank Of Canada Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $103.00 to $118.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 24.22% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.04.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 5.8%

Shares of NASDAQ GILD traded up $8.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $155.71. The stock had a trading volume of 5,072,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,745,895. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market capitalization of $193.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.36. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $93.37 and a 52 week high of $156.88. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $128.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.53.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 51.86% and a net margin of 27.88%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.90 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $617,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,101,620. The trade was a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total value of $372,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 103,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,831,402.51. The trade was a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 319,391 shares of company stock valued at $44,141,101 over the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GILD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $2,617,152,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 397.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,748,403 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $748,147,000 after acquiring an additional 5,392,191 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $518,368,000 after purchasing an additional 4,113,999 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 33.5% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,499,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,394,330 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 164.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,489,062 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $387,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169,266 shares in the last quarter. 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: Q4 beat — Gilead topped top‑ and bottom‑line estimates, driven by strong HIV and liver disease drug sales and early momentum for new product Yeztugo. Analysts highlighted margin strength as well. GILD’s Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates, HIV and Liver Disease Drugs Power Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised PTs and maintained overweight/buy ratings (Morgan Stanley to $171, Needham to $170, Wells Fargo to $165, JPMorgan to $160, Scotiabank to $177), bolstering demand and helping push the stock higher. Morgan Stanley raises price target to $171 Needham maintains Buy, raises PT to $170
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.82 (3.8% increase), supporting income‑oriented investor interest. Gilead Sciences Announces 3.8-Percent Increase in First Quarter 2026 Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and materials available — Full Q4 call transcript and slide deck provide detail on product trends, pipeline timing (including potential cancer therapy submissions) for investors doing deeper due diligence. Gilead Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Conservative FY2026 guidance — Management set FY26 EPS and revenue guidance at the low end (EPS 8.45–8.85; revenue ~ $29.6–30.0B), below consensus in some estimates, which prompted after‑hours weakness and caution among some investors. Gilead 2026 outlook short of Wall Street view, shares dip Reuters: Gilead quarterly results beat Wall Street estimates

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.