Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Shares Acquired by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund sharply increased its Gilead Sciences stake by 293% in the fourth quarter, ending with 1.76 million shares valued at about $216.4 million.
• Gilead has received mostly positive analyst attention, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average target price of $156.93.
• The company reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and also declared a $0.82 quarterly dividend for a 2.6% annualized yield.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 293.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,762,692 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,314,211 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.14% of Gilead Sciences worth $216,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 52.1% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $8,713,000 after acquiring an additional 26,882 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 1,156,738 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $141,978,000 after acquiring an additional 59,782 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 249.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,168 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 619,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $75,962,000 after acquiring an additional 17,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,138,699 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $630,056,000 after acquiring an additional 726,101 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GILD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $148.00 to $146.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.93.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Merck reported positive topline Phase 3 results for their once-weekly oral HIV regimen, a potentially important catalyst for Gilead’s HIV franchise and long-term growth. Is Gilead (GILD) One of the Top Large Cap Value Stocks to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated a Buy view on Gilead, and unusual call option activity suggests traders are positioning for upside ahead of additional catalysts. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: The company advanced a Phase 2 study of denikitug in difficult-to-treat colorectal cancer, adding another pipeline readout that could broaden Gilead’s oncology prospects. Gilead Advances Denikitug Trial in Tough-to-Treat Colorectal Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead is donating remdesivir to Uganda to support Ebola response efforts, reinforcing the company’s reputation in infectious disease care and public-health leadership. Gilead Mobilizes Rapid Donation of Remdesivir to Support Ebola Response, Building on Decade-Long Commitment to Outbreak Relief
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead and the Gilead Foundation announced about $3 million in funding with the National AIDS Memorial for HIV/AIDS education and leadership initiatives, a brand-building effort with limited near-term earnings impact. National AIDS Memorial and the Gilead Foundation Launch Major Investment to Expand HIV/AIDS Education and Community Leadership
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 earnings estimate for Gilead, but the revision was small and stays close to the broader loss expectations already in place. Gilead Advances Denikitug Trial in Tough-to-Treat Colorectal Cancer
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary suggests Gilead’s stock has pulled back from its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating some short-term technical pressure despite the positive pipeline news.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $1,971,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 617,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,185,357.82. This trade represents a 2.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. The trade was a 1.70% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $9,047,570. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 0.2%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $125.59 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $133.16 and its 200-day moving average is $134.28. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.46 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The company has a market cap of $155.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11 and a beta of 0.31.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 earnings per share 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 given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

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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