Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley lowered its Gilead Sciences price target from $166 to $165 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 25.5% upside from the stock’s $131.45 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Gilead has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $158.30, though several firms recently reduced their targets and one downgraded the stock to “market perform.”
• Gilead’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $2.03 per share and revenue of $6.96 billion; the stock rose 1.7% in the latest session.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $166.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would indicate a potential upside of 25.52% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on GILD. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Leerink Partners downgraded Gilead Sciences from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $146.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Gilead Sciences from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group reduced their target price on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.30.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of GILD stock traded up $2.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $131.45. 1,889,181 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,107,848. The stock has a market cap of $163.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences has a fifty-two week low of $108.46 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.62.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post -0.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total value of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 171,646 shares in the company, valued at $21,524,408.40. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.29, for a total transaction of $1,894,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 607,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,674,826.57. This trade represents a 2.41% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 77,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,978,740. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 60.0% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

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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