Swiss National Bank Has $417.34 Million Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank trimmed its Gilead Sciences stake by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 185,400 shares and ending with 3.4 million shares valued at about $417.3 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 25 Buy ratings versus 4 Hold ratings and a consensus price target of $156.93; several firms recently reiterated or raised targets on the stock.
• Gilead’s pipeline and HIV franchise are drawing attention, including positive Phase 3 results for its once-weekly oral HIV regimen and encouraging progress from products such as Biktarvy, Descovy, Yeztugo, and Livdelzi.

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,400,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 185,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.27% of Gilead Sciences worth $417,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 52.1% during the third quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $8,713,000 after buying an additional 26,882 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 249.1% during the third quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,115,000 after buying an additional 7,168 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 2.9% during the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 619,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $75,962,000 after buying an additional 17,284 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 16.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,155 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $17,888,000 after acquiring an additional 6,680 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GILD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday. Leerink Partners reduced their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $148.00 to $146.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Twenty-five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.93.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein initiated/maintained a Buy view on Gilead, adding to the bullish analyst sentiment around the stock. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Merck reported positive topline Phase 3 results for their once-weekly oral HIV regimen (islatravir + lenacapavir), which strengthens the company’s growth story and HIV franchise outlook. Is Gilead (GILD) One of the Top Large Cap Value Stocks to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead’s HIV business continues to get attention for momentum from Biktarvy, Descovy, and Yeztugo, with late-stage pipeline progress supporting the long-term earnings outlook. Can Gilead Sciences HIV Franchise Drive Long-Term Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Phase 3 IDEAL study results for Livdelzi in primary biliary cholangitis also reinforced confidence in Gilead’s pipeline development. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD): a Top Deep Value Stock Making Progress on Pipeline Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead was cited in broader articles about pharma/biotech M&A and healthcare investing, which may keep the stock on traders’ radar but does not directly change fundamentals. Pharma and Biotech M&A Boom Accelerates as Companies Expand Pipelines
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity suggests traders are positioning for more upside, though it is not a fundamental development.
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead Foundation’s ~$3 million HIV/AIDS education commitment is positive for brand and ESG perception, but the financial impact is likely limited. National AIDS Memorial and the Gilead Foundation Launch Major Investment to Expand HIV/AIDS Education and Community Leadership

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $125.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $156.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $133.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.34. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.46 and a 1 year high of $157.29.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $1,971,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,185,357.82. This represents a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total transaction of $396,810.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $9,047,570. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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