Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) Buy Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $170.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. HSBC raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $133.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -49.89 and a beta of 0.32. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $108.46 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $129.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post -0.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $371,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 124,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,395,077.28. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total value of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 171,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,524,408.40. This trade represents a 1.72% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 82,000 shares of company stock worth $10,641,790. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake 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. grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $948,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Davidson Trust Co. grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 1,879 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead raised its 2026 base-business outlook, citing continued strength in its HIV portfolio and growing PrEP demand. Management also highlighted Trodelvy growth and two potential product launches in the second half of the year. GILD Q2 Earnings Call Raises Outlook on HIV and PrEP Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of $7.80 billion exceeded expectations, and revenue increased 10.6% year over year. Although reported earnings were distorted by acquisition-related items, the underlying operating performance was viewed as stronger than the headline loss suggests. Gilead lifts sales outlook on strong Q2 HIV growth despite acquisition-related loss
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald and Needham & Company reiterated favorable views, assigning Gilead Overweight and Buy ratings, respectively. Gilead Sciences Earns Overweight Rating from Cantor Fitzgerald Gilead Sciences Earns Buy Rating from Needham
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead’s research pipeline could provide longer-term growth, but investors are weighing whether development spending and potential launches can translate into sustainable commercial returns. Can Gilead Sciences Turn Research Into Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC raised its Gilead price target to $123, signaling a more constructive view, though the target remains below the reference market price and therefore offers limited near-term upside. RBC Increases Gilead Sciences Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: MSD and Gilead discontinued a Phase III Trodelvy-Keytruda study after lackluster interim data, weakening expectations for a major combination-therapy expansion of Trodelvy. MSD and Gilead scrap Phase III Trodelvy-Keytruda study

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.