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

Key Points

• Citigroup raised its Gilead Sciences price target to $188 from $165 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying roughly 10% upside. Other analysts also increased targets, with the consensus rating at “Moderate Buy.”
• Gilead reported quarterly EPS of $2.55 versus the $2.19 estimate and revenue of $8.3 billion, up 6.8% year over year. HIV treatments remained the main growth driver, while Trodelvy sales increased 41.7%.
• Despite strong near-term results, investors face longer-term risks from expected Medicare price reductions for Biktarvy in 2028, which could reduce annual revenue by approximately $1.5 billion, along with concerns about the sustainability of recent HIV growth.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Citigroup from $165.00 to $188.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Citigroup's price target points to a potential upside of 10.15% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $177.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. 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 MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.44.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.1%

GILD traded up $5.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $170.68. 11,287,214 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,816,813. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The business's 50 day moving average is $150.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.55. Gilead Sciences has a fifty-two week low of $114.02 and a fifty-two week high of $175.65. The stock has a market cap of $211.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -63.93 and a beta of 0.31.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total value of $725,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,459,771.32. The trade was a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel O'Day sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.64, for a total transaction of $2,229,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 577,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $85,785,049.12. This trade represents a 2.53% 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 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at $15,393,785,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $1,316,606,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth $918,387,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at $448,021,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at $398,905,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.55, well above the $2.19 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $8.3 billion versus expectations of $7.81 billion. Revenue increased 6.8% year over year, and the company raised its 2026 product-sales outlook to $31.0 billion-$31.3 billion from $30.1 billion-$30.4 billion. Gilead Beats Q3 Earnings on HIV Strength and Trodelvy Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The core business, excluding Veklury, grew 16%—Gilead’s strongest growth in more than a decade. Biktarvy and the broader HIV franchise remained the primary growth engine, while Trodelvy sales rose 41.7% to $506 million and Livdelzi also contributed. Gilead Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets following the results: Needham to $200, Wells Fargo to $190, Morgan Stanley to $183 and Truist to $181. These revisions indicate improved confidence in near-term earnings momentum. Analysts Increase Forecasts After Upbeat Q3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, equivalent to $3.28 annually and a yield of approximately 1.9%. The company also secured Canadian reimbursement for Livdelzi, potentially broadening access, but agreed to a $45 million Texas settlement related to alleged unlawful provider incentives.
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term concerns remain. Medicare price negotiations are expected to reduce Biktarvy’s price by about 38% beginning in 2028, potentially cutting annual revenue by roughly $1.5 billion. Analysts also note that recent HIV growth benefited from inventory and favorable channel timing, while oncology and immunology remain less established and the 2026 EPS outlook was reduced. Gilead Q3 Earnings Call Highlights and Pricing Risks

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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