Fifth Third Bancorp Increases Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Institutional buying: Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Gilead by 12.3% to 442,151 shares (worth ~$54.3M) and Jennison Associates boosted holdings ~500% to 889,187 shares (~$109.1M), with hedge funds now owning about 83.7% of the stock.
• Material company catalysts: The FDA granted priority review for Gilead’s once‑daily bictegravir+lenacapavir (August PDUFA) and Gilead completed the ~ $7.8B Arcellx acquisition, adding the anito‑cel cell therapy to its oncology pipeline.
• Market sentiment and insider moves: Analysts rate Gilead an average "Moderate Buy" (avg. target $157.35; 24 Buys vs. 4 Holds) while the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82, even as insiders — including CEO Daniel O’Day — sold shares under pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plans recently.

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 442,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 48,586 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $54,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sigma Planning Corp increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 28,061 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,444,000 after purchasing an additional 9,038 shares in the last quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 4,662 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $572,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 19,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,385,000 after purchasing an additional 1,538 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 54.8% in the 4th quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 500.2% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 889,187 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $109,139,000 after purchasing an additional 741,044 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, February 20th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $118.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $157.35.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total transaction of $1,291,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,567 shares in the company, valued at $81,702,353.72. The trade was a 1.56% 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, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total transaction of $422,880.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 128,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,152,687.84. This trade represents a 2.28% 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 178,640 shares of company stock worth $26,584,250 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $130.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $140.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.35. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.29 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The company has a market capitalization of $162.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.39.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.90 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA granted priority review for Gilead’s once‑daily bictegravir + lenacapavir (BIC/LEN) NDA with an August PDUFA date — this speeds potential U.S. commercialization and reduces regulatory timing risk if approved. FDA Grants Priority Review for BIC/LEN
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley bumped its price target to $175 and kept an overweight rating — a high‑profile analyst upgrade that can attract institutional interest and support further upside. Morgan Stanley Raises PT to $175
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead completed the Arcellx acquisition (~$7.8B), adding the anito‑cel cell therapy to its oncology pipeline — expands long‑term growth optionality beyond antivirals. Gilead Completes Arcellx Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Technical analysts point to a long‑term breakout retest (an 11‑year cup base) implying ~35% upside if it holds — this can trigger momentum/quant buying. Gilead Crosses Critical Breakout Level
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street still tilted bullish overall (many buy/overweight ratings; analysts expect earnings growth) — supportive backdrop but consensus already prices some upside. Wall Street Outlook on Gilead
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead is due to report earnings next week with street models calling for growth — an earnings beat could extend the rally, a miss could reverse gains. Earnings Preview: Street Expects Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst estimate tweaks and sector ETF flow commentary may drive short‑term volatility but are not company‑specific catalysts. Sector Context & ETF Flows
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold 10,000 shares under a pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plan — insider selling can create near‑term headline pressure even if routine. SEC Form 4: O'Day Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Advocacy group AHF filed a shareholder resolution seeking more transparency on patent exclusivities — could raise governance/IP uncertainty and headline risk around future exclusivity revenue. AHF Shareholder Resolution on Patents

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GILD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.