Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Shares Sold by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise cut its Gilead Sciences position by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 9,314 shares and leaving it with 70,964 shares valued at about $8.71 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other large investors holding 83.67% of Gilead’s stock, while several major firms like Vanguard and Invesco increased their stakes.
• Gilead recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, raised by strong HIV and oncology performance, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, implying a 2.5% annual yield.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lowered its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,964 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 9,314 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $8,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $14,863,487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,113,692 shares in the last quarter. 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 during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 4.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,210,599 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,133,376,000 after purchasing an additional 414,454 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 5.9% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,148,405 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $793,506,000 after purchasing an additional 400,002 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,138,699 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $630,056,000 after acquiring an additional 726,101 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead was highlighted in a hedge-fund screen as one of the “best long-term low-risk stocks,” which may reinforce the view that institutional investors see it as a relatively defensive large-cap healthcare name. 5 Best Long Term Low Risk Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
• Positive Sentiment: The company presented at the RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference, keeping investor focus on Gilead’s HIV, oncology, and pipeline outlook following its recent earnings beat. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) Presents at RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Securities lowered its price target to $150 from $161 but kept an Outperform rating, suggesting the firm still sees upside from current levels despite the cut.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary around Gilead’s Q1 results pointed to solid execution, including strong HIV franchise performance and momentum in oncology, which supports the stock’s valuation. Gilead Sciences’s Q1 Earnings Call: Our Top 5 Analyst Questions
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead’s CFO and another senior insider disclosed stock sales, but both were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, which limits the bearish signal. Gilead Sciences NASDAQ: GILD CFO Sells $396,810.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the constructive backdrop, analyst target cuts and insider selling may be creating some caution and helping cap gains in the near term.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $130.50 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.46 and a 12 month high of $157.29. The company has a market capitalization of $162.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78 and a beta of 0.31. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $137.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $81,702,353.72. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 stock in a transaction 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 owned 173,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,907,973.57. This trade represents 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. Insiders have sold 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,523,570 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on GILD. Leerink Partners lowered their target price on Gilead Sciences from $148.00 to $146.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.62.

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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