Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms also recently commented on GILD. HSBC raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Maxim Group raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 0.2%

GILD stock opened at $138.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Gilead Sciences has a 12-month low of $108.46 and a 12-month high of $157.29. The stock has a market cap of $171.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.82 and a beta of 0.32. The business’s 50-day moving average is $130.11 and its 200 day moving average is $136.45.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.Gilead Sciences’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post -0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -122.85%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $1,971,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares in the company, valued at $81,185,357.82. The trade was a 2.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 171,646 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,524,408.40. The trade was a 1.72% 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 have sold a total of 51,000 shares of company stock worth $6,568,860 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,393,785,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,617,152,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth approximately $1,316,606,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth approximately $918,387,000. Finally, Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $517,808,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Appeals court ruling protects Gilead’s distribution channels. A U.S. appeals court upheld an injunction preventing alternative funding programs and related businesses from importing Gilead medications overseas. The decision could reduce the size of the alternative funding industry and help protect Gilead’s pricing, sales channels and patient-assistance economics. Court rules companies can’t import Gilead medications from overseas in blow to AFP health programs
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 growth highlighted continued commercial momentum. Gilead’s HIV franchise led year-over-year sales growth, with Biktarvy and PrEP performing particularly well. Quarterly PrEP sales reportedly doubled to more than $1 billion, while Trodelvy, Livdelzi and progress in oncology and liver disease added to the growth outlook. 5 Must-Read Analyst Questions From Gilead Sciences’s Q2 Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: AI collaboration strengthens the oncology pipeline. Gilead partnered with Nucleai to use AI-powered tissue analytics in its antibody-drug-conjugate programs. The technology is intended to accelerate biomarker discovery and improve precision-oncology development. Gilead Sciences Expands ADC Research With AI Tissue Analytics
• Positive Sentiment: Merck partnership offers longer-term growth potential. Recent clinical and regulatory progress involving Gilead and Merck’s collaboration reinforces the possibility that the partnership could produce meaningful future growth in areas such as oncology and infectious disease. Could Merck and Gilead’s Partnership Create the Next Big Pharma Growth Engine
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors continue to debate whether Gilead remains attractively valued after its strong multiyear performance. High call-option activity signals bullish positioning but does not guarantee sustained gains.
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst reduced the FY2026 EPS forecast, potentially reflecting concerns about earnings normalization, expenses or pipeline investment. The revision may limit near-term upside despite Gilead’s solid revenue trends. FY2026 EPS Forecast for Gilead Sciences Reduced by Analyst

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.