HighTower Advisors LLC Purchases 84,450 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,534,627 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84,450 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $193,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GILD has been the topic of several research reports. Leerink Partners downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $150.99 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $187.22 billion, a PE ratio of -56.55 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $136.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.39. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $108.46 and a one year high of $157.29.

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 business had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,771.32. This represents a 33.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total transaction of $2,675,160.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,916,306.28. This trade represents a 58.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 105,000 shares of company stock valued at $14,495,820. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: New HIV and oncology approvals broaden Gilead’s growth prospects. FDA approval of Bixlenvo, a once-daily single-tablet HIV regimen for virologically suppressed adults on complex treatments, could strengthen the company’s HIV franchise. Separately, European approval of Trodelvy plus Keytruda for certain first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients expands Gilead’s oncology opportunity. Commercial uptake will determine the ultimate revenue impact. HIV and oncology approvals article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised long-term earnings expectations. Zacks Research increased its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $2.15, Q2 2028 to $2.31 and FY2028 to $9.66, while maintaining a “Strong Buy” rating. The revisions suggest improving confidence in Gilead’s future profitability. Gilead analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: An Arcus-backed cancer study reached completion. The milestone sets up a potentially important immuno-oncology catalyst, although investors will likely need to wait for efficacy and safety data before assigning significant value to the program. Arcus-backed cancer trial article
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead continues to support income investors with a $0.82 quarterly dividend. The $3.28 annualized payout provides shareholder support, but the high payout relative to reported earnings makes future dividend growth dependent on sustained HIV cash flow and successful new-product launches. Gilead dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold $2.23 million of stock. The 15,000-share sale reduced his holdings by 2.53%, but it was completed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting its value as a bearish signal. SEC insider trading filing
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about concentration and patent-expiration risk. Gilead’s dividend and cash generation depend heavily on its leading HIV franchise, particularly a blockbuster therapy facing a known patent expiration later in the next decade. The sharp decline in cell-therapy licensing deals also highlights uncertainty around diversification beyond HIV. Gilead dividend and patent risk article

Gilead Sciences Profile

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.