Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Insider Johanna Mercier Sells 3,000 Shares

Key Points

• Insider sale: Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 Gilead shares on March 16 at an average price of $144.23 for about $432,690, reducing her holding by 2.23% to 131,779 shares; she also sold 28,000 shares on Feb. 17 at $154.44 and 3,000 on Jan. 15 at $124.31.
• Gilead beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $1.86 (vs. $1.83) and revenue of $7.93B (vs. $7.68B), set FY2026 guidance of $8.45–$8.85 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 ($3.28 annualized, ~2.3% yield).
• Shares traded around $144.40 (down ~0.6%), and the consensus view is a Moderate Buy with a $157.62 price target as several analysts raised their outlooks (e.g., Oppenheimer to $165, Morgan Stanley to $171).

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $432,690.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 131,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,006,485.17. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Johanna Mercier also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 17th, Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total transaction of $4,324,320.00.
• On Thursday, January 15th, Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total transaction of $372,930.00.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of GILD traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $144.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,887,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,439,953. The company has a market cap of $179.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average of $141.16 and a 200 day moving average of $127.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.37 and a 1 year high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.Gilead Sciences's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.90 earnings per share. 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 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, March 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America set a $162.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.62.

About Gilead Sciences

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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