Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Sets New 52-Week High on Strong Earnings

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $154.50 and last traded at $156.0380, with a volume of 2075280 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $147.23.

The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 27.88% and a return on equity of 51.86%. Gilead Sciences’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 48.99%.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $170, reflecting confidence in HIV momentum and margin expansion. Analyst Note
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target from $140 to $177 and kept a “sector outperform” stance — a sizable upside vs. the current price that supports further upside expectations. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald bumped its target to $155 and moved to Overweight, adding institutional buying interest. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead beat Q4 estimates — $1.86 EPS vs. $1.83 consensus and revenue roughly $7.9B — signaling continued strength in its core HIV and liver-disease franchises. Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a 3.8% quarterly dividend increase to $0.82 per share (payable March 30), supporting income investors and the yield profile. Business Wire
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings materials and the conference call transcript provide detail on product trends (Yeztugo launch, HIV portfolio). Useful for modeling revenue cadence but not immediate market-moving by itself. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Gilead’s FY‑2026 guidance came in light: EPS guidance $8.45–$8.85 (consensus ~$8.69) and revenue guidance $29.6–$30.0B vs. ~$30.1B consensus — investors focused on the downside of the outlook. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Because guidance missed some street expectations, shares dipped in after‑hours/extended trading — the immediate market reaction is driven more by forward guidance than yesterday’s beat. MSN

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.85.

Insider Activity

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total value of $625,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,115,713.60. This trade represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.86, for a total transaction of $3,524,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 107,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,491,310.98. This represents a 20.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 319,391 shares of company stock worth $44,141,101 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $948,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $190.54 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $128.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.53.

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.