Truist Financial Reaffirms "Buy" Rating for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)

Key Points

• Truist reaffirmed a "Buy" rating on Gilead with a $157 price target (up from $155), implying roughly a 19.4% upside
• Gilead beat Q1 estimates (EPS $2.03 vs. $1.91; revenue $6.96B) and raised 2026 revenue guidance to about $30.0–30.4B, but disclosed roughly $11.5B in acquisition-related charges and cut FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to -$1.05 to -$0.65, weighing on near-term profitability.
• Shares traded down about 1.9% to $131.49 after the report, and insiders (including the CEO and CFO) sold shares under pre-arranged 10b5‑1 plans; insiders now own approximately 0.30% of the stock.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Truist Financial in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $157.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company's stock, up from their prior target price of $155.00. Truist Financial's price target would suggest a potential upside of 19.40% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on GILD. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.50.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 1.9%

NASDAQ:GILD traded down $2.57 on Friday, reaching $131.49. 5,207,834 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,764,608. The company has a market capitalization of $163.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.31. 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 has a 12 month low of $96.18 and a 12 month high of $157.29. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $139.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.87.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. Gilead Sciences's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.96, for a total value of $422,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 176,191 shares in the company, valued at $24,835,883.36. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O'day sold 10,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total transaction of $1,291,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 632,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,702,353.72. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 63,000 shares of company stock worth $9,238,250 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 60.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and core product strength — Gilead reported adjusted EPS of $2.03 vs. $1.91 consensus and revenue of $6.96B, driven largely by continued strength in Biktarvy (HIV), which accounted for roughly half of sales. This beat underpins the operational story. Gilead Stock Falls After Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Sales guidance raised — management lifted 2026 revenue expectations to roughly $30.0–30.4B, signaling top‑line confidence even as earnings were affected by one‑time items. Gilead raises 2026 sales forecast, cuts profit outlook due to acquisitions
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained/increased cash return — Gilead declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82/share (ex‑dividend June 15), supporting income investors with a ~2.5% yield. (Company release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and disclosures available — management provided Q1 detail and slide deck/transcript for investors to parse the magnitude and timing of acquisition charges and integration plans. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Large acquisition charges and profit guidance cut — Gilead disclosed roughly $11.5B in acquisition‑related charges and higher financing/R&D costs tied to recent M&A, and revised FY 2026 adjusted EPS to a loss of $1.05 to $0.65 (vs. prior positive guidance and analyst expectations), which is the main driver of downward pressure on the stock. GILD Stock Drops Despite Q1 Beat on Massive Acquisition Charges Gilead Expects Loss This Year on Acquired R&D Expenses
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern about M&A strategy and earnings sustainability — the combination of concentrated revenue exposure to Biktarvy and a large M&A bill raises uncertainty about near‑term profitability and capital allocation. Gilead Tumbles On Mixed Guidance Update Amid Recent M&A Frenzy

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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