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

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by Truist Financial in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $157.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $155.00. Truist Financial’s target price suggests a potential upside of 19.40% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America set a $162.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-four investment 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 an average price target of $157.50.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

NASDAQ:GILD traded down $2.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $131.49. 5,207,834 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,764,608. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Gilead Sciences has a 1 year low of $96.18 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The company has a market cap of $163.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $139.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.87.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 120,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.43, for a total transaction of $463,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 167,779 shares in the company, valued at $25,910,110.97. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,238,250. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GILD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $2,617,152,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $517,808,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,368,000 after purchasing an additional 4,113,999 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,121,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,837,948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046,688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $14,863,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,113,692 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.