Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Gilead Sciences has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 29 brokerages, with 25 buy ratings and an average 12-month price target of about $156.93.
• The company reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting $2.03 EPS versus the $1.91 estimate, while revenue rose 4.4% year over year to $6.96 billion.
• Gilead continues to bolster its growth story with recent positive pipeline and product developments, including FDA accelerated approval for Hepcludex in chronic hepatitis delta virus and a CHMP positive opinion for Trodelvy in Europe.

Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $156.9259.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GILD. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $134.36 on Friday. Gilead Sciences has a 1-year low of $104.46 and a 1-year high of $157.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $166.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.31 and a beta of 0.31. The business's 50 day moving average is $136.27 and its 200-day moving average is $133.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total value of $396,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,907,973.57. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total value of $1,291,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,702,353.72. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,523,570 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 52.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 26,882 shares in the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 249.1% in the third quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 7,168 shares in the last quarter. Sector Gamma AS boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 15.9% in the third quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 147,239 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $16,344,000 after purchasing an additional 20,239 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 17,284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 589.4% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 72,471 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $8,044,000 after acquiring an additional 61,959 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval to Hepcludex (bulevirtide-gmod) for chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV), making it the first and only approved treatment in the U.S. for this rare and serious liver disease. That opens a new commercial opportunity in a high-unmet-need market. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead also received a CHMP positive opinion in Europe for Trodelvy in first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, supporting broader international adoption of one of its key oncology products. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead completed its Tubulis acquisition, adding next-generation antibody-drug conjugate assets and strengthening its oncology pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research raised near-term EPS estimates for some periods and maintained strong longer-term profit expectations, which can support investor confidence in Gilead’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead announced a renewed collaboration with the World Health Organization to help eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, a public-health initiative that is strategically positive but likely not an immediate stock driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst updates trimmed certain 2026–2028 earnings estimates, which may temper enthusiasm around the stock’s longer-term growth rate, even as recent product news remains favorable. Article Title

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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