Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price target increased by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target points to a potential downside of 5.85% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Maxim Group raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. HSBC raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $133.00 to $155.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD stock traded down $4.60 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $130.65. 5,453,802 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,135,303. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.80 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $129.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.11. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $108.46 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.97.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.26) by $0.51. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post -0.78 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider owned 124,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,395,077.28. This represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 firm’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 transaction of $1,954,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 592,133 shares in the company, valued at $77,160,851.23. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 82,000 shares of company stock worth $10,641,790 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $14,863,487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,113,692 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,240,518 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,393,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151,213 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,698,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,399,734,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,269 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 23,121,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,837,948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046,688 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,617,152,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

More Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported second-quarter revenue of $7.8 billion, up 10.6% year over year and above the $7.4 billion consensus estimate. The adjusted loss of $6.75 per share was narrower than analysts’ expected loss of approximately $7.07–$7.26. Gilead Reports Q2 Loss, Beats Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management said base-business growth was the strongest in three years. HIV product sales rose at a double-digit rate, PrEP sales reportedly doubled to about $1 billion, and newer products including Yeztugo and oncology drug Trodelvy are gaining traction. Gilead also raised its full-year HIV growth outlook to 9%–10%. Gilead Raises HIV Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed its “overweight” rating with a $155 price target, while Needham maintained a “buy” rating and a $170 target. Gilead also declared its regular $0.82 quarterly dividend, supporting the stock’s income appeal. Analyst Ratings and Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of a $0.65–$0.30 loss is better than the consensus estimate for a $0.79 loss, but revenue guidance of $30.1 billion–$30.4 billion is slightly below the $30.5 billion forecast. The outlook reflects acquisition-related costs and continued investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Gilead swung to a quarterly loss from year-ago earnings of $2.01 per share, largely because of costs tied to recent acquisitions and higher R&D spending. The company also widened its projected 2026 operating loss. Gilead Second-Quarter Sales Rise
• Negative Sentiment: Veklury sales fell 81% in the quarter, prompting Gilead to lower its full-year outlook for the COVID-19 treatment. This decline underscores pressure on a legacy product. Gilead Swings to Loss on R&D Costs
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because he retained more than 592,000 shares, the transaction is a limited negative signal.

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.