Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Stake Boosted by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Gilead by 9.2% to 175,928 shares (about $21.59M), making Gilead 1.7% of its portfolio and its 12th-largest holding.
• Multiple analysts raised price targets and ratings—Wells Fargo to $165 (overweight), Morgan Stanley to $175 (overweight), Jefferies initiated at $180 (buy)—with an overall average target of $157.35 and 24 Buys vs. 4 Holds (Moderate Buy).
• Gilead beat Q4 estimates (EPS $1.86 vs. $1.83; revenue $7.93B vs. $7.68B), set FY2026 guidance of 8.45–8.85 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (annual $3.28, ~2.5% yield).

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 175,928 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,773 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences accounts for 1.7% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $21,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter worth $26,000. Financial Consulate Inc. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 85.8% in the fourth quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 176.0% in the third quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 276 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 58.7% in the third quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 319 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GILD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.35.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.6%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $133.64 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $165.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.40. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.37 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $142.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.90.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.90 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total transaction of $422,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 176,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,835,883.36. This represents a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total transaction of $4,324,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,577,278.72. This represents a 18.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 178,640 shares of company stock valued at $26,691,550. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences Company 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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