Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price

Key Points

• Barclays lowered Gilead Sciences’ price target to $145 from $155 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying roughly 8% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 25 Buy ratings and four Holds; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $157.93.
• Gilead recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, but upcoming results are expected to show an earnings decline. Insiders have also sold 67,000 shares worth approximately $8.7 million over the past 90 days.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at Barclays from $155.00 to $145.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Barclays's price target suggests a potential upside of 7.95% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Leerink Partners lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, HSBC raised Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD opened at $134.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $129.64 and a 200-day moving average of $135.75. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $108.46 and a 52-week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.97. The company has a market cap of $166.77 billion, a PE ratio of 18.30 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences will post -0.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 171,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,524,408.40. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 67,000 shares of company stock worth $8,687,140. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,240,518 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,393,921,000 after buying an additional 1,151,213 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,698,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,399,734,000 after buying an additional 1,195,269 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,121,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,837,948,000 after acquiring an additional 3,046,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $2,617,152,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

More Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating on Gilead and reduced its price target only slightly, from $166 to $165. The target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels, reinforcing a favorable view of the company’s valuation and outlook. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead outperformed the broader stock market in the latest session. The reports did not identify a new company-specific catalyst, suggesting the move may reflect market positioning and investor interest in the large-cap biopharmaceutical sector rather than a major fundamental announcement. Gilead Sciences Laps the Stock Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead’s upcoming results remain a key focus. Recent coverage highlights expectations for an earnings decline and suggests the company lacks the historical estimate-revision and earnings-surprise trends that typically support a strong beat. Investors may therefore look closely at product sales, guidance, and pipeline progress in the next report. Analysts Estimate Gilead to Report a Decline in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2027 EPS forecast for Gilead to $9.59 from $9.65. Although the reduction is small, it indicates slightly softer expectations for longer-term earnings growth and may weigh on sentiment at a time when investors are assessing the sustainability of Gilead’s earnings outlook.

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.

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