Needham & Company LLC Reiterates Buy Rating for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)

Key Points

• Needham reaffirmed its Buy rating on Gilead Sciences with a $170 price target, implying approximately 25.7% upside from the stock’s $135.25 opening price. Analysts overall rate the stock “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus target of $157.93.
• Gilead’s quarterly revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $7.8 billion, exceeding estimates, while its $6.75 per-share loss was narrower than expected. Growth in HIV products supported results, but Veklury sales plunged 81% and acquisition-related charges and higher R&D spending weighed on profitability.
• CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares worth about $1.95 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, though he retained more than 592,000 shares. Institutional investors own approximately 83.7% of Gilead’s stock.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $170.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Needham & Company LLC's target price suggests a potential upside of 25.69% from the company's current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Maxim Group raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Leerink Partners lowered Gilead Sciences from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.1%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $135.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $167.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $108.46 and a 52-week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $129.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.11.

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

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.31, for a total value of $1,954,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 592,133 shares in the company, valued at $77,160,851.23. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,513,524.91. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 82,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,641,790 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 71.4% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 54.2% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 222 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

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.

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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