Cantor Fitzgerald Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald raised Gilead Sciences’ price target to $175 from $155 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 5.67% upside from the previous close. Analysts overall hold a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average target of $162.93.
• Gilead reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.55 versus the $2.19 consensus and revenue of $8.30 billion, up 6.8% year over year. Growth was led by the Biktarvy HIV franchise and Trodelvy, prompting the company to raise its full-year product-sales guidance.
• Future risks remain: Gilead widened its projected non-GAAP loss, while Medicare-related changes are expected to reduce Biktarvy’s price by 38% beginning in 2028. Insiders have also sold 111,000 shares worth approximately $15.9 million over the past 90 days.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by Cantor Fitzgerald from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's target price indicates a potential upside of 5.67% from the company's previous close.

GILD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $165.00 to $163.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $184.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Barclays cut their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Gilead Sciences from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 4.0%

GILD stock opened at $165.61 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $150.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.55. The company has a market cap of $205.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -62.03 and a beta of 0.31. Gilead Sciences has a 12-month low of $114.02 and a 12-month high of $165.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.36. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The business had revenue of $8.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. Gilead Sciences's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post -0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.22, for a total value of $468,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 161,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,166,417.12. This represents a 1.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.22, for a total transaction of $468,660.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 113,684 shares in the company, valued at $17,759,714.48. The trade was a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. PFS Partners LLC boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 101.1% in the third quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Gilead reported non-GAAP EPS of $2.55, above the $2.19 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.8% year over year to $8.30 billion versus expectations of approximately $7.81 billion. Gilead Sciences third-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: HIV medicines drove the performance. The company highlighted 16% growth in its base business, led by the Biktarvy HIV franchise, while cancer drug Trodelvy also contributed to sales growth. The results represent Gilead’s strongest sales growth in roughly a decade. Gilead HIV franchise earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year sales guidance was raised. Gilead now expects 2026 product sales of $31.0 billion to $31.3 billion, up from its previous range of $30.1 billion to $30.4 billion and modestly above Wall Street’s expectations. Gilead raises sales guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The quarterly dividend was maintained. Gilead declared an $0.82-per-share quarterly dividend, or $3.28 annualized, representing an approximately 2% yield based on the provided share price. The dividend is payable December 30 to shareholders of record December 15.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reaction was mixed. Robert W. Baird assigned the shares a Hold rating, suggesting the strong operating results may be balanced by valuation near record levels and uncertainty surrounding the company’s pipeline and future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and pricing risks temper the report. Gilead widened its 2026 non-GAAP loss forecast, while Medicare-related changes are expected to reduce Biktarvy’s price by 38% beginning in 2028. These factors could pressure future earnings despite the current sales momentum. Gilead Biktarvy pricing and sales outlook

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. The company is best known for its HIV treatments, including Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Truvada, as well as therapies for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Its portfolio also includes Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

Gilead has expanded into oncology and cell therapy through products such as Trodelvy and the CAR T-cell therapies Yescarta and Tecartus, which are developed and marketed through its Kite subsidiary.

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