Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Given New $146.00 Price Target at Leerink Partners

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Leerink Partners from $114.00 to $146.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Leerink Partners’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 2.85% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.73.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 1.7%

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $141.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $176.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.45. Gilead Sciences has a 1 year low of $93.37 and a 1 year high of $142.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $125.36 and a 200-day moving average of $119.59.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $7.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 27.88% and a return on equity of 51.86%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.02 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.89, for a total value of $1,398,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 556,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,876,483.22. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $617,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,101,620. This represents a 35.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 257,397 shares of company stock valued at $33,385,512. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 28,061 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,444,000 after buying an additional 9,038 shares in the last quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 4,662 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $572,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 19,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,538 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 54.8% during the 4th quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 500.2% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 889,187 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $109,139,000 after purchasing an additional 741,044 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple sell?side firms raised targets and reiterated bullish ratings (Wolfe Research to $155/outperform; TD Cowen to $145/buy), reinforcing buy-side momentum and implied upside from current levels. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader analyst upgrades/positive notes from Citi, Truist, BMO and UBS add to consensus bullishness, supporting demand and higher valuation multiples. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical/regulatory wins for Trodelvy (added to NCCN guidelines; TNBC approval/win coverage) strengthen Gilead’s oncology growth story and revenue optionality beyond antivirals. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces noting that GILD has outperformed the market and is attracting analyst attention can draw momentum and ETF/quant flows into the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Notes on GILD’s presence in Nasdaq/healthcare ETF lineups and elevated investor attention increase volume and liquidity but are not clear directional catalysts by themselves. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Daniel Patrick O’Day sold 10,000 shares (~$1.4M) at ~$139.89 (filed on Form 4). While modest relative to his remaining holding and potentially routine, insider sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors. Read More.

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.