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

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on Gilead Sciences and maintained a $155 price target, implying approximately 14.6% upside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with 25 Buy ratings and four Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $157.93.
• Gilead reported second-quarter revenue of $7.8 billion, up 10.6% year over year and above estimates, although it posted a loss amid higher research and development and acquisition-related costs; HIV growth helped offset an 81% decline in Veklury sales.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating reiterated by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $155.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's target price points to a potential upside of 14.60% from the company's current price.

GILD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $135.25 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $108.46 and a 52-week high of $157.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $129.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.97.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($7.26) by $0.51. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The firm's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post -0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.31, for a total value of $1,954,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 592,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,160,851.23. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following 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. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,641,790. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aviva PLC increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 1,156,738 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $141,978,000 after buying an additional 59,782 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at $1,418,000. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 150.3% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 17,147 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 10,296 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 105,740 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $12,978,000 after purchasing an additional 42,243 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 56,812 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,973,000 after purchasing an additional 17,325 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported second-quarter revenue of $7.8 billion, up 10.6% year over year and above the $7.4 billion consensus estimate. The company’s $6.75-per-share loss was narrower than analyst expectations of roughly $7.07–$7.26. Gilead Sciences Reports Q2 Loss, Beats Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Excluding Veklury, product sales increased 10% to $7.6 billion. Double-digit HIV growth, including continued momentum for PrEP and the emerging Yeztugo franchise, strengthens the company’s core growth outlook. Management raised its 2026 HIV growth expectation to 9%–10%. Gilead Raises HIV Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead won a California Supreme Court ruling stating that drugmakers do not have a duty to develop potentially safer alternatives to medicines already considered safe. The decision reduces a significant product-liability risk. California Court Rules for Gilead
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, equivalent to $3.28 annually and a yield of approximately 2.4%. The dividend is payable September 29 to shareholders of record September 15.
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead’s updated 2026 EPS outlook of a $0.65–$0.30 loss is better than the prior consensus estimate for a $0.79 loss. However, projected revenue of $30.1 billion–$30.4 billion is slightly below the $30.5 billion analyst forecast, tempering the guidance benefit.
• Negative Sentiment: Veklury sales fell 81% in the quarter, prompting Gilead to lower its full-year outlook for the COVID-19 treatment and underscoring pressure from the product’s decline. Gilead Swings to Loss on R&D Costs
• Negative Sentiment: The quarterly loss compares with $2.01 in EPS a year earlier as acquisition-related charges and elevated R&D spending weighed on profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares worth approximately $1.95 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because he retained more than 592,000 shares, the transaction is a limited negative signal rather than a major change in insider conviction. CEO Share Sale

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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