Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Gilead Sciences to $168 from $175, implying about 27.9% upside from the current share price despite the lower forecast.
• Gilead reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $2.03 and revenue of $6.96 billion, both ahead of estimates and supported by sales growth in HIV and Trodelvy.
• The company’s outlook was more cautious, as it set FY 2026 EPS guidance at a loss of -$1.05 to -$0.65, while insiders also sold shares and analysts overall remain at a Moderate Buy consensus.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $168.00 in a research report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Morgan Stanley's target price would indicate a potential upside of 27.92% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America set a $162.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Gilead Sciences from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $157.15.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of GILD opened at $131.33 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $139.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $163.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.31. Gilead Sciences has a 1-year low of $96.18 and a 1-year high of $157.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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 49.45% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 632,567 shares in the company, valued at $81,702,353.72. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total value of $422,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 176,191 shares in the company, valued at $24,835,883.36. This represents a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold a total of 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,238,250 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Davidson Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 1,879 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $561,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial reaffirmed its buy rating on Gilead and raised its price target to $157 from $155, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported Q1 EPS of $2.03 and revenue of $6.96 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations, supported by HIV and Trodelvy sales growth. Yahoo Finance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its Yeztugo 2026 sales guidance to $1 billion from $800 million, signaling stronger-than-expected launch momentum. Yahoo Finance
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC slightly reduced its price target to $122 from $123 and kept a sector perform view, suggesting a more cautious stance but no major change in thesis. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Gilead cut its 2026 EPS guidance to a loss range of -$1.05 to -$0.65, a major deterioration from prior profit expectations, due to acquisition charges and financing costs. Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also appear concerned that near-term growth is being driven more by older products like Descovy and Biktarvy than by the much-anticipated Yeztugo launch, creating questions about the pace of future growth. Yahoo Finance

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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