Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Up 3.9% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Gilead shares rose 3.9% to about $153.64 during Wednesday trading, outperforming their prior close despite trading volume running roughly 70% below average.
• Gilead and Vir Biotechnology announced a multi-program collaboration to develop three dual-masked T-cell engagers for solid tumors, expanding Gilead’s oncology pipeline and potential long-term growth opportunities.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $159.33, though investors face near-term risk from expectations for a double-digit year-over-year decline in upcoming quarterly EPS.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) shares shot up 3.9% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $152.88 and last traded at $153.6410. Approximately 2,004,525 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 6,791,270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.92.

More Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: New cancer-immunotherapy partnership: Gilead and Vir Biotechnology announced a multi-program collaboration to discover and develop three PRO-XTEN® dual-masked T-cell engagers for solid tumors. Gilead receives exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the candidates, giving the company access to Vir’s technology and potential long-term oncology growth opportunities. Financial terms were not provided in the supplied reports. Vir Biotechnology Partners With Gilead on Next-Generation Cancer Immunotherapy Programs Vir Biotechnology Enters Multi-Program Collaboration and License Agreement with Gilead Sciences
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst outlook remains supportive: Analysts have highlighted Gilead among bullish healthcare stocks, while Erste Group Bank slightly increased its fiscal 2027 earnings-per-share estimate to $9.90 from $9.88. The revision is modest but reinforces the view that longer-term earnings expectations remain intact. Analysts Are Bullish on These Healthcare Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend appeal noted: Gilead was included among pharmaceutical companies viewed as capable of continuing dividend payments despite the eventual loss of exclusivity for blockbuster drugs. This supports the stock’s income-investment narrative but does not represent a new company announcement. Blockbuster Drugs Come and Go. These 5 Pharma Dividend Stocks Keep Paying
• Negative Sentiment: Upcoming earnings are a risk: A preview of Gilead’s next quarterly report projects a double-digit year-over-year decline in earnings per share. That could limit gains or increase volatility if results or guidance disappoint, despite the positive pipeline news. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Gilead Sciences’ Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on GILD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. HSBC upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. 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. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $159.33.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $145.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market cap of $190.04 billion, a PE ratio of -57.41 and a beta of 0.31.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%. Gilead Sciences's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is currently -122.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total transaction of $2,675,160.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,894 shares in the company, valued at $1,916,306.28. The trade was a 58.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 O'Day sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.90, for a total value of $2,218,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 566,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,812,415.70. The trade was a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 105,000 shares of company stock worth $14,940,540 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 60.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 85.5% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 217 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc NASDAQ: GILD is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. Its research and commercial activities focus primarily on virology, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as oncology, inflammation and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

Gilead's portfolio includes HIV treatments such as Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Sunlenca; hepatitis therapies including Epclusa, Harvoni and Vemlidy; and Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral used to treat COVID-19 in certain patients.

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