Johanna Mercier Sells 28,000 Shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $3,676,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares in the company, valued at $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Johanna Mercier also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, April 15th, Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total value of $422,880.00.
• On Monday, March 16th, Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total value of $432,690.00.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of GILD opened at $130.50 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.46 and a 12-month high of $157.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.02 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78 and a beta of 0.31. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.48.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead was highlighted in a hedge-fund screen as one of the “best long-term low-risk stocks,” which may reinforce the view that institutional investors see it as a relatively defensive large-cap healthcare name. 5 Best Long Term Low Risk Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
• Positive Sentiment: The company presented at the RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference, keeping investor focus on Gilead’s HIV, oncology, and pipeline outlook following its recent earnings beat. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) Presents at RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Securities lowered its price target to $150 from $161 but kept an Outperform rating, suggesting the firm still sees upside from current levels despite the cut.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary around Gilead’s Q1 results pointed to solid execution, including strong HIV franchise performance and momentum in oncology, which supports the stock’s valuation. Gilead Sciences’s Q1 Earnings Call: Our Top 5 Analyst Questions
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead’s CFO and another senior insider disclosed stock sales, but both were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, which limits the bearish signal. Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) CFO Sells $396,810.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the constructive backdrop, analyst target cuts and insider selling may be creating some caution and helping cap gains in the near term.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on GILD. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Argus raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GILD. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $2,617,152,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $517,808,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,368,000 after buying an additional 4,113,999 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 15.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $14,863,487,000 after buying an additional 2,113,692 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.