Zacks Research Forecasts Higher Earnings for Gilead Sciences

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised Gilead’s Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $1.93 from $1.84 and projected FY2027 and FY2028 earnings of $9.30 and $9.58 per share, respectively.
• Gilead’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $(6.75) versus $(7.25) expected and revenue of $7.80 billion, up 10.6% year over year and above the $7.40 billion consensus.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 24 Buy ratings and five Holds and an average price target of $158.04. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, while executives recently sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Gilead Sciences in a report issued on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will earn $1.93 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.84. The consensus estimate for Gilead Sciences' current full-year earnings is ($0.53) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Gilead Sciences' Q4 2026 earnings at $2.14 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.08 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.22 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.59 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.30 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.14 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.27 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.58 EPS.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Leerink Partners lowered Gilead Sciences from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Gilead Sciences from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of GILD opened at $143.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.27. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $108.46 and a 52-week high of $157.29. The firm has a market cap of $177.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.72 and a beta of 0.32. The business's fifty day moving average is $130.69 and its 200-day moving average is $136.46.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aviva PLC boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 1,156,738 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $141,978,000 after acquiring an additional 59,782 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth about $1,418,000. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 150.3% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 17,147 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 10,296 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 105,740 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $12,978,000 after purchasing an additional 42,243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 106,526 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,075,000 after purchasing an additional 13,385 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.36, for a total value of $415,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 165,646 shares in the company, valued at $22,918,780.56. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $77,160,851.23. This trade represents a 2.47% 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 have sold 82,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,837,860 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Gilead Sciences's dividend payout ratio is currently -122.85%.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: A federal appeals court blocked companies from importing and selling cheaper foreign versions of Biktarvy in the United States. The ruling helps protect revenue and pricing for Gilead’s leading HIV treatment. Gilead stock court ruling on Biktarvy imports
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead’s HIV franchise remains a key growth driver. Biktarvy continues to lead treatment, while Yeztugo’s rollout and additional pipeline programs could expand prevention and treatment revenue. Gilead's expanding HIV portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary characterized Gilead as an underappreciated healthcare turnaround story, citing double-digit second-quarter revenue growth, strong HIV sales, acquisitions and an expanding oncology portfolio. Its latest quarterly revenue of $7.80 billion exceeded the $7.40 billion consensus estimate. Gilead Sciences turnaround story
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82, equivalent to $3.28 annually and a yield of approximately 2.3%. The payment is scheduled for September 29 for shareholders of record on September 15.
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead is competing in the rapidly developing antibody-drug conjugate oncology market. The opportunity could support future diversification, although heavy competition and clinical-development risks remain. Cancer and antibody-drug conjugate patent landscape
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Commercial Officer Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares for approximately $3.85 million, while CFO Andrew Dickinson sold 3,000 shares for approximately $415,000. Both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, limiting their significance but potentially weighing modestly on sentiment. Gilead insider selling

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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