Avidity Partners Management LP Purchases Shares of 20,000 Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Avidity Partners Management LP initiated a position in Gilead Sciences by purchasing 20,000 shares worth approximately $2.79 million, making GILD about 0.6% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 83.67% of the company.
• Gilead’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.03 versus the $1.91 consensus and revenue of $6.96 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• Despite a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average analyst price target of $157.93, several brokerages recently cut their price targets or downgraded the stock; shares opened at $130.21, down 0.8%.

Avidity Partners Management LP purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 20,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $2,787,000. Gilead Sciences comprises about 0.6% of Avidity Partners Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.9% during the first quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 1st quarter valued at about $677,000. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. now owns 3,020 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 37,915 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,284,000 after purchasing an additional 4,118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norris Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,311,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: European regulators issued a positive opinion supporting expanded use of Gilead’s Trodelvy with Keytruda for certain patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer. The potential label expansion could broaden Trodelvy’s commercial opportunity and strengthen Gilead’s oncology pipeline. Gilead Sciences Following Trodelvy Progress and a Fair Value Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyses remain favorable on GILD. One investment article argues that investors should “buy the distortion” ahead of second-quarter results, while another says the stock still appears inexpensive after delivering roughly 130% total return over five years. Gilead: Buy the Distortion Before Q2 Clears It Up Gilead Stock Stays Cheap on Its Five-Year Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is focused on Gilead’s second-quarter 2026 results. Preview articles highlight Wall Street expectations for revenue, earnings and operating metrics, but they do not provide a confirmed earnings surprise. Wall Street Projections for Gilead’s Q2 Metrics
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly supportive, with reports noting Gilead’s market outperformance and bullish views on its prospects. However, heightened investor attention alone is not a fundamental catalyst. Do Wall Street Analysts Like Gilead Sciences Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reduced its fiscal 2027 earnings-per-share estimate for Gilead, raising concerns about the company’s future earnings growth. Erste Group Bank Cuts Gilead FY2027 EPS Estimate
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its Gilead price target to $145. Although the revised target remains above the stock’s referenced trading level, the reduction signals more limited near-term upside and is likely weighing on sentiment. Barclays Lowers Gilead Price Target

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $130.21 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.46 and a 1-year high of $157.29. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $129.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $161.66 billion, a PE ratio of 17.74 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences'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 analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on GILD. Barclays dropped 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. Leerink Partners downgraded Gilead Sciences from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $146.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Gilead Sciences from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $157.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $371,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 124,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,395,077.28. The trade was a 2.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 171,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,524,408.40. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 67,000 shares of company stock worth $8,687,140 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Profile

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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