Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Target Raised at Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham raised Gilead Sciences’ price target to $200 from $170 while maintaining a “buy” rating, implying approximately 20.77% upside from the previous close.
• Gilead reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.55 versus $2.19 expected and revenue of $8.30 billion, up 6.8% year over year. Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $162.93.
• Future risks remain, including a widened full-year loss forecast and an expected 38% Medicare-related price reduction for Biktarvy beginning in 2028, despite raised sales guidance and strong HIV-drug growth.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Needham & Company LLC from $170.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Needham & Company LLC's price target suggests a potential upside of 20.77% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.93.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD opened at $165.61 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.33 and a two-hundred day simple 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.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $8.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. Gilead Sciences's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post -0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business'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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,459,771.32. The trade was a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,916,306.28. This trade represents a 58.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at about $15,393,785,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 61,216,552 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,734,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357,967 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 10,539,111 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,468,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018,976 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth approximately $1,316,606,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth approximately $918,387,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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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