Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Earns "Overweight" Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its Overweight rating on Gilead Sciences and set a $155 price target, implying about 23.8% upside from the current share price.
• Gilead’s recent earnings beat expectations, with Q1 EPS of $2.03 versus the $1.91 consensus and revenue of $6.96 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• Insider selling picked up recently, including shares sold by CFO Andrew D. Dickinson and Johanna Mercier, while institutional investors still own 83.67% of the stock.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating restated by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $155.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price objective suggests a potential upside of 23.79% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on GILD. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Argus upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Gilead Sciences from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Leerink Partners cut their target price on Gilead Sciences from $148.00 to $146.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Twenty-five 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $158.41.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $125.22 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $132.86 and its 200 day moving average is $134.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market cap of $155.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.31. Gilead Sciences has a one year low of $104.46 and a one year high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The company'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. As a group, research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post -0.79 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 62,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,182,190. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GILD. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 60.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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