Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Shares Purchased by Banco Santander S.A.

Key Points

• Banco Santander nearly doubled its stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 128,848 shares and bringing its total holding to 261,844 shares valued at about $32.1 million.
• Gilead reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.03 beating estimates and revenue of $6.96 billion slightly ahead of forecasts. Revenue also rose 4.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, implying a 2.6% yield, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $156.93.

Banco Santander S.A. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 96.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 261,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 128,848 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $32,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $2,617,152,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 12.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,139,681 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,680,505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,453 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,317,613 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,266,384,000 after acquiring an additional 107,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.9% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,148,405 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $793,506,000 after acquiring an additional 400,002 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $125.59 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $133.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.28. The firm has a market cap of $155.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11 and a beta of 0.31. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.46 and a 1 year 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings cut Gilead Sciences from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen cut Gilead Sciences from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.93.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $1,971,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $81,185,357.82. The trade was a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total value of $396,810.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $9,047,570. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines 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.

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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