Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Cuts Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. trimmed its stake in Gilead by 8.6% in Q4, selling 25,216 shares and leaving it with 268,104 shares valued at about $32.9 million.
• Analysts are broadly bullish on Gilead—24 Buy vs. 4 Hold—with a consensus price target of $157.35 and several firms raising targets (e.g., Jefferies $180, Argus $165, Morgan Stanley $175).
• Near-term catalysts include the FDA granting priority review for Gilead’s once‑daily bictegravir+lenacapavir HIV single‑tablet regimen (PDUFA in August) and completion of the ~ $7.8B Arcellx acquisition adding anito‑cel to its oncology pipeline.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 268,104 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 25,216 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $32,907,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sigma Planning Corp raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 47.5% in the fourth 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 during the period. Cullinan Associates Inc. raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 8.6% in the fourth 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 during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 54.8% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Gilead Sciences by 500.2% in the fourth 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on GILD shares. Argus boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Gilead Sciences from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.35.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA granted priority review for Gilead’s once‑daily bictegravir + lenacapavir HIV single‑tablet regimen, with a PDUFA action date in August—this materially shortens the timeline to U.S. commercialization if approved and is a clear near‑term revenue/catalyst driver. U.S. FDA Grants Priority Review
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $175 and maintained an Overweight rating — a high‑profile analyst upgrade that can attract institutional and momentum buying. Morgan Stanley Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead completed the acquisition of Arcellx (~$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: Coverage and market writeups are bullish ahead of earnings — analysts and outlets flag a combination of beat potential and multi‑year technical breakout narratives that can fuel momentum flows. Wall Street Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead announced several upcoming investor presentations (BofA, RBC, Bernstein, Goldman Sachs) in May — opportunities to refresh guidance/MSG to investors but not immediate revenue drivers. Investor Conference Schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Estimates tweaked: Erste Group trimmed FY2026 EPS slightly but lifted FY2027 — minor modeling adjustments that leave consensus largely intact. Erste Group Estimate Changes
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold 10,000 shares (~$1.29M) under a pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plan. Insider sales can create short‑term headline pressure despite being routine and pre‑planned. CEO Insider Sale Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Advocacy group AHF filed a shareholder resolution seeking greater transparency on patent exclusivities — introduces governance/IP scrutiny that could raise uncertainty around exclusivity‑dependent revenues. AHF Shareholder Resolution

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 1.6%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $130.84 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.29 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $140.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.35. 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 market capitalization of $162.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.39.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. The company'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, equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total value of $422,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 176,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,835,883.36. This represents a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares in the company, valued at $18,577,278.72. This trade represents a 18.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 178,640 shares of company stock valued at $26,584,250 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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