Capital World Investors Has $5.26 Billion Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Capital World Investors trimmed its Gilead stake by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, but it still held 42.9 million shares valued at about $5.26 billion, making it one of the company’s largest institutional holders.
• Insider selling was notable: CFO Andrew D. Dickinson and insider Johanna Mercier sold shares in May, and insiders sold 68,000 shares worth about $9.0 million over the past 90 days.
• Fundamental and sentiment signals remain mixed but supportive, with Gilead beating quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, issuing a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, and receiving multiple analyst Buy ratings and bullish updates on pipeline developments like lenacapavir and Ouro Medicines.

Capital World Investors decreased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,872,129 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 2,307,802 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned 3.46% of Gilead Sciences worth $5,262,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GILD. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Consulate Inc. boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 85.8% in the fourth quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 54.8% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total transaction of $396,810.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,513,524.91. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,047,570. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi and Scotiabank both reiterated bullish views on Gilead, with each firm maintaining a Buy rating, which can support investor confidence in the stock. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Receives a Buy from Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead highlighted progress on lenacapavir in South Africa, where the government and Global Fund are accelerating access to the HIV prevention drug, reinforcing the company’s growth story in HIV. Gilead Applauds Collaborative Efforts to Launch Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention in South Africa
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Lakefront completed the acquisition of Ouro Medicines, expanding the inflammation/autoimmune pipeline around gamgertamig, a potential first-in-class T cell engager. Gilead Sciences and Lakefront Complete Acquisition of Ouro Medicines to Further Expand Inflammation Pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead’s inclusion in a list of “best quality growth stocks” may add to the market’s view that the company remains a high-quality large-cap healthcare name. 5 Best Quality Growth Stocks to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry-wide biopharma M&A remains active, and Gilead was mentioned among the sector’s deal-making leaders, which keeps takeover speculation and pipeline deal optionality in focus. Gilead, Merck, Eli Lilly Lead $106 Billion Biopharma Takeover Wave In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead also reported a clinical milestone in its IDEAL PBC trial, which could become a future catalyst if the study continues to progress positively. Gilead’s IDEAL PBC Trial Reaches Key Milestone, Setting Up a New Liver Disease Catalyst

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $157.00 target price (up from $155.00) on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Twenty-six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.93.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

GILD stock opened at $129.16 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $134.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.31. The company has a market capitalization of $160.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 0.31. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $104.46 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.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

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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